DRogers@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (10/12/83)
From: David Rogers <DRogers@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I must disagree with Frank Adrian who commented in a previous digest
that "I urge everyone to boycott this conference" and other conferences with
this requirement. The progress of science should not be halted due to some
government ruling, especially since an attempted boycott would have little
positive and (probably) much negative effect. Assuming that all of the
'upstanding' scientists participated, is there any reason to think that
the government couldn't find less discerning researchers more than happy to
accept grant money?
Eric (sorry, no last name) is preoccupied with the fact that government
'paid' for the research; aren't "we" the people the real owners, in that case?
Or can there be real owners of basic knowledge: as I recall, the patent office
has ruled that algorithms are unpatentable and thus inherently public domain.
The control of ideas has been an elusive goal for many governments, but even so,
it is rare for a government to try to claim ownership of an idea as a
justification for restriction; outside of the military domain, this is seems
to be a new one...
As a scientist, I believe that the world and humanity will gain wisdom
and insight though research, and eventually enable us to end war, hunger,
ignorance, whatever. Other forces in the world have different, more short-term
goals, for our work; this is fine, as long as the long-term reasons for
scientific research are not sacrificed. Sure, they 'paid' for the results of
our short-term goals, but we should never allow that to blind us to the real
reason for working in AI, and *NO-ONE* can own that.
So I'll take government money (if they offer me any after this diatribe!)
and work on various systems and schemes, but I'll fight any attempt to
nullify the long term goals I'm really working for. I feel these new
restrictions are detrimental to the long-term goals of scientific search,
but currently, I'm going with things here... we're the best in the world (sigh)
and I plan on fighting to keep it that way.
David Rogers
DRogers@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA