Thousands Calling For Apology To Founder Of Computer Science

Gizmodo Australia / BBC ^ | 1 Sept., 2009 | By Joanna Stern

[OldSpice]

 

 

Alan Turing, who is said to be the father of modern computer science, was a WWII code-breaker until he was prosecuted by the British government for having homosexual relations. Thousands have now signed a petition calling for a government apology.

Turing committed suicide two years after his prosecution in 1954, but was before given experimental chemical castration as a “treatment”. He is most well known for his NAZI enigma code breaking work for the British during the second World War and his helping establish a test to measure the intelligence of a machine which is now known as a Turing Test.

So far more than 5500 signatures have been collected on the Downing Street petition started by computer scientist John Graham-Cumming. Author Ian McEwan put his John Hancock on the petition.  [BBC]

[TomOnTheRun]

None of which contained "overwhelming" evidence. Or any real evidence at all. Which is why you can't post any.No. All of them present the current evidence - then test it and possibly refute it. They had a lot of misses even trying to refute it. Some of this was due to misunderstanding of statistics and some of it was due to a need for more detailed testing. Every scientific study begins with a statement of current evidence. What was overhwelming evidence before is many times refuted later. The history of science is littered with such things. I would no more mock Turing for believing what seemed like a good idea that was refuted after his death than I would a number of other medical doctors in similar situations. And phsyicists. And so on. If he had stuck to those guns after testing I would mock himm though.

They were believers in those crackpot theories and their attempts to generate any evidence (much less "overwhelming" evidence) failed miserably.

No. Some of them were agnostic and some did not believe. Jung states that he is not a believer very explicitly in MDR and Aion. Others were testing the waters - they didn't know.

[John Titor]

Even in the 40’s geeks couldn’t get chicks.

Post o' the Day!

Turing can get his apology as soon as his family apologizes for American slavery. And the Revolutionary War. And the extinction of the dinosaurs.

It's all about being fair.

[Mojave]

All of them present the current evidence - then test it and possibly refute it.

What evidence? Let's see some.

[TomOnTheRun]

What evidence? Let's see some.

Go look it up. When I read these materials I was only interested in debunking ESP - not so much in already refuted theories for it so I didn't commit them to memory. I was sincere earlier when I said I would have mocked Turing if he kept those ideas later on in life - I went and read refutations of ESP so I could point somebody else to those refutations... not so I could point them to something that they might use to buttress an idea I thought was false.

[Mojave]

Go look it up.

There is none.

[TomOnTheRun]

So you honestly believe that people investigated something for which there was no evidence and no reason to believe for .... I don’t know what reason. That the USA & USSR both explored it and tested it because .... they had no reason to believe it to be true? (Surely the USSR didn’t have cash to flash around on things with no evidence.) People believe in a lot of whacky things but they tend to carefully avoid subjecting those things to scientific scrutiny if they have no reason to believe them true. Why would they subject them to such scrutiny again and again and again only to be dissappointed every time if it was merely quackery? I don’t understand those motivations.

[Mojave]

So you honestly believe that people investigated something for which there was no evidence

They tried to prove their superstitions and failed. Turing even falsely announced that the evidence for telepathy was "overwhelming."

[Mojave]

Surely the USSR didn’t have cash to flash around on things with no evidence.

Your faith in the rationality of Communism is misplaced.

Look up Lysenkoism.

[TomOnTheRun]

Your faith in the rationality of Communism is misplaced. Look up Lysenkoism.

I've no faith in it being rational - but they meet the same practical limits of money that other people do. Dialiectical genetics was an ideological decision and people will sacrifice for ideology. Where would the ideological commitment to ESP come from? How about USA exploring it? And Britain? I think Israel did as well.

[Egon]

If not “the” father, then at least a sperm donor!

So... he had a "hand" in it?

[TomOnTheRun]

They tried to prove their superstitions and failed. Turing even falsely announced that the evidence for telepathy was "overwhelming."

All of those people that I mentioned thought the evidence was there. They all changed their minds after studying it. She decided the children were just disturbed - he decided that the human brain couldn't generate the energy - Jung did ... Well .. I read him and I'm not sure what he did with it. He didn't believe it at the end but he still did that thing that makes it sound kooky even though he's saying it's been debunked. At any rate that's proper scientific method. Scientific method isn't about deciding it's quackery before you subject it to testing.

[Mojave]

Dialiectical genetics was an ideological decision and people will sacrifice for ideology.

Even in the absence of supporting evidence. Just like the proponents of ESP, astrology, telepathy, etc.

[Mojave]

All of those people that I mentioned thought the evidence was there.

Even though they had none.

They all changed their minds after studying it.

No source available on request.

[Rebelbase]

Don’t get anal about it.

[Mojave]

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Effects/Music/Sound%20Effect%20-%20Rimshot.wav

[Uri’el-2012]

Turing committed suicide two years after his prosecution in 1954, but was before given experimental chemical castration as a “treatment”.

The treatment was administered by British National Health Care !

Beware Bambi Care !

[theDentist]

Well, you don’t have to have been murdered or driven to suicide by the Gov’t to sue the Gov’t. I’m betting there are lawsuits out there where non-family members have been found to have standing in a lawsuit against the Gov’t (both here and in Britain). And I do not know what the statute of limitations for civil suits would be...

Any attorneys out there that can weigh in?

[TomOnTheRun]

No source available on request.Here are the books in which Rhiner and Jung both say they do not believe in ESP. I take it the Neurobiologist being a materialists and saying that it violated thermodynamics isn't suspect.

Jung - Memories, Dreams, Reflections Rhiner - Biography of Electric Psychokinesis

The others have autobiographies. Check out your local library.

[Jagman]

LOL!

He might have used one of those burlap paradummies called "Ruperts" that were dropped during D-Day :-)

[TomOnTheRun]

Just like the proponents of ESP, astrology, telepathy, etc.

The people I cited are, in fact, the people instrumental in demonstrating that telepathy wasn't possible. Houdini is nice but it wasn't done under scientific conditions. Astrology is a different matter. I don't believe Turing ever advocated it.