MEMO FROM TO: TX

J. LEDERBERG Harold Wolf RC
GENETICS DEPARTMENT RO

STANFORD UNIVERSITY
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA

JUN 28 770

It had not occurred to me to connect plant
hormones with defoliation in VN; but of course
this would have been a very striking further
example of the problem of assigning "respon-
sibility" to the scientist. So I was not as
perceptive as you were, or perhaps gave me
credit for, but I am glad to have your
chuckling comments -- any good cheer is always
welcome!

I have been thinking a good deal about
"technopathy", but am strll struggling to
find a useful conceptualization of it. TI
guess that I would say that the repudiation
of knowledge comes close to a repdiation of
the social contract, i.e., the faith that our
social mechanism can, on balance, support the
best interests of inidividual people. If I

. . m
ever reach the point of accepting a "moratoriu
on science" I guess I would also stop paying
taxes. There are times....