1. Alan Turing exhibits the characteristics of a genius, evidence of this comes from his description as a "math prodigy" at Kings College- Cambridge, and the fact that he became a fellow at Cambridge at the age of twenty-four. However, Alan Turing compares himself to genius's such as Newton and Einstein and believes that he is no prodigy because he has yet to accomplish as much as the two. Additionally, Turing recognizes he is one of the best mathematicians in the world, at only twenty-seven years old. Turing exhibits the characteristics of an isolated individual as seen through his inability to understand humor, his arrogance towards others, and his refusal to work as a team while trying to break Enigma, one of the greatest encryption devices …show more content…
Logic far outweighs importance in every spectrum for Alan Turing. Despite the millions dying in during the chaotic World War II, Alan Turing states he has no desire to work for the British government, his sole purpose for volunteering his intellect to the project of breaking Enigma revolves around the concept of Enigma having no possible way of being decoded and its status as the most complex problem in the world-- a problem he seeks to solve. Additionally, Turing values the importance of not adhering to gender standards, valuing intelligence far beyond societal expectations. Turing's understanding that women are just as able as men to undertake complex issues highlights his value for the intelligence of all individuals, not just men. Additionally, because Turing names his machine, used for decrypting German war messages, Christopher, Turing's evident passion for love and friendship. Additionally, Turing values the importance of mathematics-- Turing not only obtains the status of a Fellow at age twenty-four, he also relies on statistical analysis to determine the outcome of the …show more content…
However, unlike Alan, Hugh views woman and intimacy as fundamental components to living a healthy lifestyle, believes humor is a necessary aspect in accomplishing tasks, and also holds importance to collaboration. Hugh clearly displays his belief that collaboration contributes to succeeding when he accuses Alan of being the main impediment to defeating Enigma and Nazi Germany. Additionally, Hugh follows orders precisely, which conveys his value that understanding and analyzing fundamental lessons, while decrypting messages, outweighs the importance of creation and discovery. In addition to this, Alexander values speed as he frequently demonstrates his impatience and his need for quick
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
When trying to define critical thinking you might run into some challenges along the way. Critical thinking is a widely used yet vague term that is practiced by different people in a variety of locations throughout the world. Critical thinking is a strong virtue for the majority and the worst enemy for others. Needless to say without critical thinking we would be nowhere close to where we are today pertaining to our technological and social endeavors.
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.
In the Think Introduction the author, Simon Blackburn , attempts to provide us with a brief overview of the contents of the the novel. He also gives a base explanation for philosophy and its foundations. Blackburn begins by explaining the main purpose of the book. He wants both men and women to be able to understand “big themes”. These are subjects such as autonomy, certitudes, and morality. Blackburn believes that by reading this text, if done correctly, the audience will have a clear understanding of these “big themes” and be quite able digest complicated philosophy texts at their leisure. (Blackburn 1) I believe that Blackburn accomplishes his goal.
One of the hottest topics that modern science has been focusing on for a long time is the field of artificial intelligence, the study of intelligence in machines or, according to Minsky, “the science of making machines do things that would require intelligence if done by men”.(qtd in Copeland 1). Artificial Intelligence has a lot of applications and is used in many areas. “We often don’t notice it but AI is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that route our email.” (BBC 1). Different goals have been set for the science of Artificial Intelligence, but according to Whitby the most mentioned idea about the goal of AI is provided by the Turing Test. This test is also called the imitation game, since it is basically a game in which a computer imitates a conversating human. In an analysis of the Turing Test I will focus on its features, its historical background and the evaluation of its validity and importance.
In the 1940s and 1950s scientists began to discuss the possibility of creating an artificial brain. Research sped up after neurologists discovered that the brain is an electrical network of neurons. Then, in 1950, Alan Turing published a paper in which he discussed the possibility of creating machines that think. Since "thinking" is difficult to define, he created the “Turing Test.” The test stated that a machine could “think” if it was able to carry on a teleprinter conversation that was indistinguishable from a human
Alan Mathison Turing was born in Paddington, London, on June 23, 1912. He was a precocious child and began his interests in science and mathematics at a young age, but was never concerned about other right-brain classes such as English. This continued until an important friend of his passed away and set Turing on a path to achieve what his friend could no longer accomplish. When his friend Christopher Morcom died, Turing was launched into thoughts in physics about the physical mind being embodied in matter and whether quantum-mechanical theory affects the traditional problem of mind and matter. Many say today that this was the beginnings of Turing’s Turning Machine and the test still used today for artificial intelligence, the Turing Test.
Turing, Alan. "Intelligent machinery." n.d. The Turing Digital Archive. Images of typed document. 1 April 2014. .
In Turing’s test, an isolated interrogator attempts to distinguish the identities between discreet human and computer subjects based upon their replies to a series of questions asked during the interrogation process. Questions are generally generated through the use of a keyboard and screen, thus communication can only be made through text-only channels. For example, a sample question would contain something along the lines of “What did you think about the weather this morning?” and adequate responses could include, “I do tend to like a nice foggy morning, as it adds a certain mystery” or rather “Not the best, expecting pirates to come out of the fog” or even “The weather is not nice at the moment, unless you like fog”. After a series of tests are performed, if the interrogator fails at identifying the subject more than 70 percent of the time, that subject is deemed intelligent. Simply put, the interrogator’s ability to declare the machine’s capability of intelligence directly correlates to the interrogator’s inability to distinguish between the two subjects.
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 being the protagonist of this film undergoes many scenes of conflict which makes the film more appealing to the audience by allowing them to either relate to him or sympathise for him. There are many scenes where Turing is advised to keep his gender preference under the radar or even black mailed to keep quiet under the threat of telling authorities that he is a homosexual. There is a scene where Turing finds the Soviet Spy in Bletchley Park who turns out to be John Cairncross. Cairncross catches Turing before he spreads the secret and says "if you tell them my secret I'll tell them your's". Another example of black mail is when Stewart Menzies, who is in on Cairncross's undercover work, finds out of Turing's knowledge and blackmails Turing in the same way Cairncross did. These examples of the protagonist being seen in conflict makes the film more appealing to the audience by making the character seem more relatable as everyone in life come across different types of conflict and it is appealing to see how other people overcome their
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
The conditions of the present scenario are as follows: a machine, Siri*, capable of passing the Turing test, is being insulted by a 10 year old boy, whose mother is questioning the appropriateness of punishing him for his behavior. We cannot answer the mother's question without speculating as to what A.M. Turing and John Searle, two 20th century philosophers whose views on artificial intelligence are starkly contrasting, would say about this predicament. Furthermore, we must provide fair and balanced consideration for both theorists’ viewpoints because, ultimately, neither side can be “correct” in this scenario. But before we compare hypothetical opinions, we must establish operant definitions for all parties involved. The characters in this scenario are the mother, referred to as Amy; the 10 year old boy, referred to as the Son; Turing and Searle; and Siri*, a machine that will be referred to as an “it,” to avoid an unintentional bias in favor of or against personhood. Now, to formulate plausible opinions that could emerge from Turing and Searle, we simply need to remember what tenants found their respective schools of thought and apply them logically to the given conditions of this scenario.
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
Knowledge is generated through critical and creative thinking. Creative thinking is something new or original that is created with value. Critical thinking is a type of thinking that questions assumptions and validates or invalidates a current belief or something that is said to be previously true. Knowledge is created through the culmination of generally accepted assumptions and creativity. How do you separate general assumptions and creativity? These two types of thinking can be easily separated in regards to concrete or realistic ideas compared to abstract or original ideas however to generate new, acceptable knowledge critical and creative thinking must interact together. The questioning of established beliefs with the creation of unorthodox new ideas will expose the most beneficial knowledge for the world.