Quote

I'm afraid that the following syllogism may be used by some in the future. Turing believes machines think Turing lies with men Therefore machines do not think Yours in distress, Alan

Alan Turing

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Alan Turing
Age: 41 †
Born: 1912
Born: June 23
Died: 1954
Died: June 7
Artificial Intelligence Researcher
Computer Scientist
Cryptographer
Logician
Marathon Runner
Mathematician
Statistician
University Teacher
Warrington Lodge Medical and Surgery Home for Ladies
Alan M. Turing
Alan Mathieson Turing
Turing
Alan Mathison Turing
Afraid
Syllogism
Thinking
Lying
Alan
Future
Distress
Used
Believes
May
Machines
Following
Believe
Lies
Men
Therefore
Turing
Think

More quotes by Alan Turing

Image
No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I'm after is just a mediocre brain, something like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Alan Turing
Image
It seems probable that once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers… They would be able to converse with each other to sharpen their wits. At some stage therefore, we should have to expect the machines to take control.
Alan Turing
Image
Instruction tables will have to be made up by mathematicians with computing experience and perhaps a certain puzzle-solving ability. There need be no real danger of it ever becoming a drudge, for any processes that are quite mechanical may be turned over to the machine itself.
Alan Turing
Image
My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.
Alan Turing
Image
A very large part of space-time must be investigated, if reliable results are to be obtained.
Alan Turing
Image
The idea behind digital computers may be explained by saying that these machines are intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer.
Alan Turing
Image
In attempting to construct such (artificially intelligent) machines we should not be irreverently usurping His (God's) power of creating souls, any more than we are in the procreation of children,” Turing had advised. “Rather we are, in either case, instruments of His will providing mansions for the souls that He creates.
Alan Turing
Image
If a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be intelligent.
Alan Turing
Image
Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child's? If this were then subjected to an appropriate course of education one would obtain the adult brain.
Alan Turing
Image
Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.
Alan Turing
Image
The Exclusion Principle is laid down purely for the benefit of the electrons themselves, who might be corrupted (and become dragons or demons) if allowed to associate too freely.
Alan Turing
Image
Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity.
Alan Turing
Image
The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.
Alan Turing
Image
These disturbing phenomena [Extra Sensory Perception] seem to deny all our scientific ideas. How we should like to discredit them! Unfortunately the statistical evidence, at least for telepathy, is overwhelming.
Alan Turing
Image
No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain.
Alan Turing
Image
Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes hollow.
Alan Turing
Image
One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.
Alan Turing
Image
When we want to sink a convoy, we send out an observation plane first... Of course, to observe is not its real duty, we already know exactly where the convoy is. Its real duty is to be observed...Then, when we come round and sink them, the Germans will not find it suspicious.
Alan Turing
Image
I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.
Alan Turing
Image
Up to a point, it is better to just let the snags [bugs] be there than to spend such time in design that there are none.
Alan Turing