RIP John McCarthy, who in 2007 wrote: "Even the scientific community is subject to the "madness of crowds", e.g. the belief that global warming is a major threat to humanity"

John McCarthy, Who Coined Term 'Artificial Intelligence', Dead at 84

(Newser) – John McCarthy, the computer scientist who coined the term "artificial intelligence" in 1955, died Monday, reports the New York Times. He was 84.

COMMENTARY ON WORLD, US, AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS (12-Aug-2008)

[Mar 2007] New superstitions arise all the time. I'll cite organic food and the associated rejection of genetic engineering and radiation sterilization, the anti-nuclear energy superstition that associates nuclear power with nuclear weapons, and the repeated anti-immunization movements. Even the scientific community is subject to the "madness of crowds", e.g. the belief that global warming is a major threat to humanity.