Alan Turing is widely considered to be the father of modern computing. In 1936 he published an academic paper that laid the basic foundations for computer science, proving that, though only a theoretical possibility at the time, a machine could solve any mathematical problem expressed as an algorithm. His later publications built upon and expanded this concept, establishing basic rules of electronic computation that remain valid today.
During World War II, he led successful efforts to crack various German military codes, most famously the supposedly indecipherable Enigma code, thereby contributing greatly to the Allied victory, saving countless lives in the process. Following the war, he resumed his academic work in the fields of mathematics and computer science, including pioneering work in the area of artificial intelligence. He also branched out into the new field of mathematical biology, observing how mathematical formula is present in the development of patterns in living creatures, from the veins of a leaf to the stripes on a tiger’s coat.
In 1952, however, he was arrested and found guilty of gross indecency after police discovered he had committed homosexual acts with another man, Arnold Murray, whom he had met a few days before. Homosexuality was illegal in Britain at that time. By being found guilty, he lost his government security clearance so he could no longer work on sensitive projects. Upon sentencing, the judge gave him a choice between prison and “treatment” that constituted, in effect, chemical castration. He chose the latter, but soon became deeply depressed at the physical, mental, and emotional effects it was having on him. In June 1954 he was found dead, the cause attributed to cyanide poisoning; a half-eaten apple – the presumed method of administering the fatal dose – was found at his side. The subsequent inquest ruled that he had committed suicide whilst the balance of his mind was “disturbed”.
Alan Turing’s legacy can be seen in our everyday lives. Computers have become ubiquitous, integral parts of our existence. The world today would be all but unimaginable and unrecognisable without them. Every single computer is based fundamentally on concepts that originated in the mind of Alan Turing. In a very real sense, back in the late 1930s, he created the future: the world we live in today, but which he himself would not reach except in his mind. In that sense, perhaps he was a man from the future. He was certainly ahead of his time when it came to his attitude about his own homosexuality. He seemed to think it was nothing to be kept hidden from others. He even referred to it when he reported to police his suspicions that Arnold Murray was indirectly involved in his home being burgled, only then to find himself under arrest.
Had Turing indeed lived in the future, that part of his story would not have had such a tragic outcome.
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