Alan Turing, Father of Modern Computer Science

Haikal_Baik
Hi, I bet not that many of you know about Alan Turing, although those who read this post read it on their computer. Well, Alan Turing is the father of computer science. This title was given to him because his invention helped in the creation of modern computer.

Alan Turing in his youth
I bet not that many too recognized his invention, the Turing Machine which anticipated the usage of series of instructions called the "algorithm." This turing machine first was not meant to be something big (the invention of computer) but rather as a thought experiment that Turing use to represent the computing machine. At that time, scientists used his machine in order to understand the limits of mechanical computation.

In 1950, Alan Turing proposed a thought question in his paper called "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" by asking "Can machines think?" In the years that follow, a more intense debate about whether or not machines can think occurred. Blay Whitby, a philosopher and technology ethicist, stated that there are 4 major turning points in the history of Turing test.

  1. The publication of "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" by Alan Turing in 1950
  2. Joseph Weizenbaum, a German-American author with his computer program called ELIZA.
  3. Psychiatrist Kenneth Colby with his creation called PARRY
  4. Turing colloquium (like a conference) in 1990
Back to Alan Turing, after World War 2, Turing's homosexuality resulted in criminal prosecution and as an alternative to prison, he chose to take female hormon as a treatment. He died in 1954 from cyanide poisoning. The inquest after that concluded that the cyanide was intentionally ingested and Alan Turing died because he killed himself. But his mother, unable to believe such fact, came out with a theory that Turing was careless in organizing the chemicals, resulting in accidental ingestion of the cyanide.

In 2009, British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown made an official public apology for the way Turing was treated after the war. (Yeah, such a great mind usually will receive a little respect from authority). As for today, a significant advancement has been made in computer science and it is all thanks to ALAN TURING!!!
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