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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
¬March 28, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Edwin Wilson
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Department of Biology
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Harvard University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Cambridge, Massachusetts

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Wilson:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊃am␈α⊃thinking␈α⊃of␈α⊃organizing␈α⊃a␈α⊃session␈α⊂for␈α⊃the␈α⊃next␈α⊃AAAS␈α⊃meeting␈α⊃in␈α⊃Denver␈α⊂entitled
␈↓ ↓H␈↓"Threats␈αto␈αFreedom␈αof␈αScienti≡c␈αInquiry"␈αcovering␈αboth␈αhistoric␈αand␈αcontemporary␈αissues.␈α Thus
␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈αwould␈αlike␈αto␈αget␈αsomeone␈αto␈αtalk␈αabout␈αthe␈αold-fashioned␈αreligious␈αattacks␈αon␈α
science,␈αsomeone,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓hopefully␈α∞Medvedev,␈α
to␈α∞talk␈α∞about␈α
Lysenkoism.␈α∞ It␈α
seems␈α∞to␈α∞me␈α
that␈α∞you␈α
have␈α∞had␈α∞some␈α
recent
␈↓ ↓H␈↓relevant experience, and I wonder if you would be willing to talk about it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        What␈α∂set␈α∞me␈α∂o≥␈α∞in␈α∂this␈α∞direction␈α∂was␈α∞the␈α∂recent␈α∞meeting␈α∂of␈α∞AAAS␈α∂and␈α∞the␈α∂activities␈α∞of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓"Science␈α∞for␈α∞the␈α∞People",␈α∞and␈α∞most␈α∞of␈α∞all,␈α
the␈α∞fact␈α∞while␈α∞most␈α∞people␈α∞ignored␈α∞them,␈α∞no-one␈α
had
␈↓ ↓H␈↓anything␈α∞to␈α∞say␈α∞in␈α∞opposition␈α∞to␈α∞their␈α∞doctrine.␈α∞ I␈α∞think␈α∞that␈α∞if␈α∞no-one␈α∞opposes␈α∞them,␈α∞they␈α∞may
␈↓ ↓H␈↓eventually␈αwin,␈αor␈αat␈αleast␈αtheir␈αmoralism␈αwill␈αwear␈αdown␈αthe␈αmajority␈αof␈αscientists␈αwho␈αhave␈αnot
␈↓ ↓H␈↓thought deeply about the necessity for freedom of scienti≡c inquiry.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        There␈α↔has␈α↔been␈α↔a␈α⊗mild␈α↔threat␈α↔in␈α↔computer␈α⊗science␈α↔coming␈α↔from␈α↔Professor␈α⊗Joseph
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Weizenbaum of M.I.T., but I haven't decided whether this rates a response.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
would␈α
be␈α
most␈α
grateful␈α
for␈α
your␈α
comments,␈α
advice,␈α
and,␈α
if␈α
you␈α
are␈α
su≠ciently␈αinterested,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓collaboration.  In particular, I could you recommend someone to tell about the Harvard XYY ∨ap?


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science