Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!stewart From: stewart@sunybcs.uucp (Norman R. Stewart) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: does AI kill? Message-ID: <12626@sunybcs.UUCP> Date: 16 Jul 88 14:29:29 GMT References: <1376@daisy.UUCP> <12400014@iuvax> Sender: nobody@sunybcs.UUCP Reply-To: stewart@sunybcs.UUCP (Norman R. Stewart) Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science Lines: 22 Is anybody saying that firing the missle was the wrong decision under the circumstances? The ship was, afterall, under attack by Iranian forces at the time, and the plane was flying in an unusual manner for a civilian aircraft (though not for a military one). Is there any basis for claiming the Captain would have (or should have) made a different decision had the computer not even been there. While I'm at it, the Iranians began attacking defenseless commercial ships in international waters, killing innocent crew members, and destroying non-military targets (and dumping how much crude oil into water?). Criticizing the American Navy for coming to defend these ships is like saying that if I see someone getting raped or mugged I should ignore it if it is not happening in my own yard. The Iranians created the situation, let them live with it. Norman R. Stewart Jr. * How much more suffering is C.S. Grad - SUNYAB * caused by the thought of death internet: stewart@cs.buffalo.edu * than by death itself! bitnet: stewart@sunybcs.bitnet * Will Durant