Alan Turing, Computing Machinery And Intelligence - Arguments From Various Disabilities episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 5, 2026 · 13 MIN

Alan Turing, Computing Machinery And Intelligence - Arguments From Various Disabilities

from Sadler's Lectures · host Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist, Alan Turing's article "Computing Machinery And Intelligence", published in 1950 in the journal Mind. This is an important early work on artificial intelligence, which proposes what later has come to be called the "Turing Test". Specifically it examines what he calls "arguments from various disabilities, which he describes as follows: "These arguments take the form, "I grant you that you can make machines do all the things you have mentioned but you will never be able to make one to do X." Numerous features X are suggested in this connexion I offer a selection: Be kind, resourceful, beautiful, friendly, have initiative, have a sense of humour, tell right from wrong, make mistakes, fall in love, enjoy strawberries and cream, make some one fall in love with it, learn from experience, use words properly, be the subject of its own thought, have as much diversity of behaviour as a man, do something really new. " To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 4500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Get Alan Turing's "Computing Machinery And Intelligence" here - https://courses.cs.umbc.edu/471/papers/turing.pdf

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist, Alan Turing's article "Computing Machinery And Intelligence", published in 1950 in the journal Mind. This is an important early work on artificial intelligence, which proposes what later has come to be called the "Turing Test". Specifically it examines what he calls "arguments from various disabilities, which he describes as follows: "These arguments take the form, "I grant you that you can make machines do all the things you have mentioned but you will never be able to make one to do X." Numerous features X are suggested in this connexion I offer a selection: Be kind, resourceful, beautiful, friendly, have initiative, have a sense of humour, tell right from wrong, make mistakes, fall in love, enjoy strawberries and cream, make some one fall in love with it, learn from experience, use words properly, be the subject of its own thought, have as much diversity of behaviour as a man, do something really new. " To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 4500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Get Alan Turing's "Computing Machinery And Intelligence" here - https://courses.cs.umbc.edu/471/papers/turing.pdf

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Alan Turing, Computing Machinery And Intelligence - Arguments From Various Disabilities

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This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist, Alan Turing's article "Computing Machinery And Intelligence", published in 1950 in the journal Mind. This is an important early work on...

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