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From: raja@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Raja Sooriamurthi)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Doug Lenat's "cyc" project
Message-ID: <53965@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Date: 10 Aug 90 05:20:23 GMT
Sender: daemon@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Lines: 22

In comp.ai you write:

>Remember also the success or lack of it of the alchemists,
>-Joseph G. Davis

Yes, the alchemists did fail in their  prime goal of discovering a
'load-stone' to turn base metals to gold. But in the process of their
search they did find a number of useful alloys and advanced medieval
chemistry to a large extent. 

Agreed their prime objective wasn't fruitful but the side-effects were
significant. While I don't want to say that project cycs prime mission
isn't going to succeed I've no doubt that it has been (will be)
successful in other ways.

- Raja


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Raja Sooriamurthi                              Computer Science Department
raja@copper.ucs.indiana.edu                       Indiana University
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