Conclusions

In this book we have presented experimental evidence at many levels of detail for a diverse set of hypotheses. As indicated by the chapter and section headings, the major themes of the MYCIN work have many variations. In this final chapter we will try to summarize the most important results of the work presented. This recapitulation of the lessons learned should not be taken as a substitute for details in the sections themselves. We provide here an abstraction of the details, but hope it also constitutes a useful set of lessons on which others can build. The three main sections of this chapter will reiterate the main goals that provide the context for the experimental work; discuss the experimental results from each of the major parts of the book; and summarize the key questions we have been asked, or have asked ourselves, about the lessons we have learned. If we were to try to summarize in one word why MYCIN works as well as it does, that word would be flexibility.