Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23rd of 1912 in London (source 1 xv) to father, Julius Turing, (source 1 5) , and mother Ethel Stoney (source 1 6) . Alan was born into the Turing family with an older brother, John Turing, who was 4 years his senior (source 1 8) . The Turing family was not poor, but money was constantly rationed due to the constant travel that Julius Turing committed to as an Indian Civil Service Officer which made Julius a lacking father figure to his two sons (source 1 5) . Consequently, due the lack of parental guidance in his life, Alan tended to be a problematic child “who could learn anything but be taught almost nothing” (source 5) , and Alan was known to be strongly opinionated and sarcastic (source 1 14) . Nevertheless, …show more content…
Alan’s colleagues had no problem with his homosexuality, but according to the “1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act” performing any homosexual acts in public or in private was deemed illegal (source 6). At a time of suspicion of his homosexuality during Alan’s Bletchley Park experience Alan became engaged to co-worker Joan Clark in the spring of 1941 as a coverup to ensure he would not be arrested for his sexual orientation (source 1 259). Unfortunately, Alan could not hide in the shadows of his fake heterosexual relationship for much longer than a few days when Jane was informed about Alan's “homosexual tendencies” (source 1 259). After his work at Bletchley Park, Turing returned home only to discover that his house had fallen victim of vandalization and robbery which attracted police attention towards Alan Turing and the evidence of his homosexuality in 1952 (source 6). A few days after the robbery of his home, Alan was questioned about having homosexual affairs with a 19 year old man, and he admitted to all of his affairs almost immediately after he we was questioned (source 5). Alan Turing faced trial for “gross indecency” in 1952 where he was convicted of “gross indecency and given the choice between two years jail time for his actions or estrogen
Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their lives. Geanne Harwood, interviewed on an National Public Radio Broadcast commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, said that “being gay before Stonewall was a very difficult proposition … we felt that in order to survive we had to try to look and act as rugged and as manly as possibly to get by in a society that was really very much against us.” The age of communist threats, and of Joseph McCarthy’s insistence that homosexuals were treacherous, gave credence to the feeling of most society members that homosexuality was a perversion, and that one inflicted was one to not be trusted.
The reason I believe that the Turing test is a great test is because it not only difficult, but it allows the interrogator to think, and that is what I believe Turing looks for his test, the state of logical thought. This would prove that the machine or anything can basically think and feel. For example, If I were to be the interrogator and asked “Are you a woman?” and they both answered me “I am” I would be mentally disturbed and would have to ask new questions to find my answer, but the main point here was the fact I was mentally disturbed and that leads to emotion, which leads that if I were to figure out who was who, I would pass the test and I would have evidence that I can undoubtedly
Unfortunately, being labeled as a homosexual came with a specific stigma back in the mid-1980s, and many individuals were not as accepting of homosexuals as they tend to be today. Consequently, having to admit that he was a homosexual would have destroyed both Roy’s career and reputation, specifically as a result of this negative stigma. When readers examine Roy’s definition of the term homosexual once more, one may realize that Roy simply could not be labeled as a homosexual because of how damaging it would be to his career and possession of clout, which is why he is so adamant about not being labeled as such. As Roy had stated, “I have sex with men. But unlike nearly every other man of whom this is true, I bring the guy I’m screwing to the White House and President Reagan smiles at us and shakes his hand” (Kushner 52). This shows that, yes, Roy sleeps with men, but he can’t receive that label due to the fact that he is too successful and it would tear him off of his podium—he has too many powerful connections, such as the President, to admit that he is a homosexual. Unfortunately, this attitude is all too relevant today as well, for many individuals often refuse to admit part of their identity in fear of how it will change their lives. Certain terms and labels have
It is clear that the social climate of the time, one of extreme homophobia, affected J. Edgar endlessly in the aforementioned public political life and private life that he led. In real life, J. Edgar Hoover’s sexuality was never made explicitly clear but many believe he was a homosexual, as he never had girlfriends and spent most of his time with one man in particular, Clyde
Prior to the 1950’s, society had already formed the foundation of its bias towards gay men. Scientific and social studies executed by famous scholars, such as Freud and Kinsey, suggested not only that homosexuality is abnormal, but it is prevalent among society (Johnson). Correspondingly, Washington began to grow, which gave way to new government positions, ranging from the lowest corporate level to the highest corporate level; thus, paranoia, regarding homosexual men in the White House, dispersed
At some point in our lives, we have wondered about the possibility of a computer being able to think. John Searle addresses this issue in his paper, “Can Computers Think?”, where he argues that computers cannot think because they are directed by formal information. This means that the information presented is only syntax with no semantics behind it. In this paper, I will elaborate more on Searle’s position and reasoning whilst critiquing his argument by saying that it is possible to derive semantics from syntax. Finally, I will analyze the significance of my criticism and present a possible response from Searle to defend his argument.
Aldous Leonard Huxley was born, in the English countryside, on July 26, 1894 to Leonard and Julia Huxley. He was their third child. His siblings were Julian, Trevenen, and Margaret. His father was the son of T. H. Huxley, a brilliant scientist, and his mother, Julia, was the great-niece of Matthew Arnold, a poet-philosopher. He was unusual and bright but not immediately academically distinguished (Hara 4). His mother had started a school for girls and that is where Huxley first started to bloom. In 1908 his mother died of cancer and she told Huxley, “Don’t be too critical of people and love much” (Garrett 87). His academic career was stopped in 1911 when he got Keratitis punctata (an eye ailment). It left him blinded but he still stayed in school. He had two tutors, his homework and braille. In 1913, he stayed with his brother while his vision improved. He started to travel more when his father remarried (Garrett 87).
In Great Britain, during the Victorian era, a new law named Labouchere Amendment was put into effect. This criminalizes homosexuality with a sentence of life imprisonment or death. This new law forces many people who are gay into hiding. Those in hiding would live double lives. Some are married to the opposite sex, others remain single throughout their livelihood; causing them to be heterosexual by day and a homosexual by night. Some like Oscar Wilde remain open about their sexuality. Which led Oscar to be imprisoned for 2 years of hard labor. Robert Louis Stevenson focused on this cultural issue in his novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, through figurative language. Through this Stevenson posits that if one hides one’s authentic
The Web. 12 May 2014. Fone, Byrne. A. Homophobia: A History of the.
3) Eskridge William. Symposium on sexual orientation and the law. Virginia Law review. October 1993. Pg. 1419-1513. http://www.jstor.org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/stable/1073379?seq=3&uid=3739664&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103079482127
During the 19th century, of course, homosexuality was acknowledged by heterosexuals (particularly of the upper classes) as an existing activity among the lower classes - an activity that thrived in London's own East End. Those who were thought to be homosexuals were often blackmailed. With the Labouchere Amendment in 1885, homosexuals faced a greater threat of exposure through blackmail. In fact, "the threat of exposure as a sodomite is the basis of more than half of the prosecutions throughout the eighteenth century" ("Jekyll & Hyde," par. 8). Other Victorian writers, like Oscar Wilde, faced this threat, which often damaged their reputations if the affair ever made it to a court.
The movie also reflects the values of society and the roles men are expected to play. At the end of the movie, Alan ends his life by committing suicide, a consequence of his receiving chemical castration to correct his gender identity. Great Britain might have seen more incredible inventions if Alan hadn’t died at such a young age. The Imitation Game reflects the important role of gender norms as they play out in Alan Turing’s life. Because he is unable to follow what society considers acceptable gender socialization, Alan is eliminated from society. Despite his remarkable invention, his life is in vain because of the strict and harsh expectations about gender
Alan Turing left an indelible mark on the world with technological inventions, extraordinary talent, and productive habits. His dedication to hard work and perseverance against the discouragement of bullying provide fantastic examples for anyone to emulate. Also, the inventions of the Turing Machine and the Bombe were the primary reasons why computers existed during the last sixty years, and were important factors in the demise of Nazi Germany. Finally, for one to truly understand why Turing was important in world history, he should envision life without modern technology and
In order to work on cracking the code Alan’s sexuality must be hidden deep in the closet. Alan Turing’s homosexuality makes up a big part of who he is. Turing always felt uncomfortable around other men, because his old friend Christopher was the only one that filled his heart with love. From a social conflict perspective, we can see how the
There is no such thing as a “born leader”. Human, animals, trees, and all of other living things survive and develop by earning and acquiring information needed. Nothing could receive the current position or status from an automatic mode.