Dr. Andrew Hodges — Alan Turing: The Enigma

This lecture was recorded on December 7, 2014—one of the last in a series of over 350 Distinguished Science Lectures presented by the Skeptics Society since 1992.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912–1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades — all before his suicide at age 41. In November a major motion picture starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing will be released, based on the classic biography by Dr. Andrew Hodges, who teaches mathematics at Wadham College, University of Oxford (he is also an active contributor to the mathematics of fundamental physics).

Hodges tells how Turing’s revolutionary idea of 1936 — the concept of a universal machine — laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. Hodges also tells how this work was directly related to Turing’s leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic story of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program — all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.

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[michaeldebellis]

Hodges’ book is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. Usually books like this really dumb down the math but Hodges, being a mathematician did an excellent job of describing it. Highly recommend it. Turing is one of my heroes. Such a shame he died so young.

[russbellew]

Excellent! Dr. Hodges' biography of Turing is a masterpiece. This lecture was worthwhile.

[davidwright]

I think a crucial and very unusual aspect of Alan Turing's personality was that he combined deep powers of intellectual abstraction, with a gleeful tinkering with actual machines and gadgets. And seeing how to instantiate the abstractions in the mechanical/physical world. While letting the devices inform his abstract view of machines.

[KipIngram]

Great lecture Dr. Hodges. There's a lot there to think about on so many fronts.

[josephpelzel]

I went into computer science at UC Berkeley in 1972 and loved it.

[woodennecktie]

very good balance between the person and his skills, turing comes out nice

[sophrapsune]

Wonderful, interesting lecture. Thanks very much.

[MrDaiseymay]

What a wondefully detailed account of the life of a genius. One hundred and 40 minutes, he certainly earned his applause. BUT---Having read Dr. Andrews Biography of Turing, some years ago, I was COMPLETELY mistified, by his decision to sell the rights of his book to the maker's of that pathetic junk of a film, ''The immitation Game''. Having listened here, to his brilliant account of Turings life, ( with some contradictions to his book) I am as baffled by his decision, as ever. Perhaps the money was too tempting.

[douglachman]

It would be very beneficial to show what your looking at and describing so much. The speach is great substance.

[MooseheadStudios]

amazing work here. must be kept Alan is much funnier then i would have thought.

[KipIngram]

Given how competitive and secretive everyone was with their ideas at the time, who really cares who was first? I can give Turing and von Neumann plenty of credit - both of them were absolutely brilliant men. And it's very very common in science and technology for ideas to appear in multiple places around the same time - ultimately everyone is building on what has come before, and they all have access to that legacy. So it's not surprising at all.

[KipIngram]

I think you have to respect him quite a lot for not charging ahead with a marriage that would have made for good appearances - there was probably quite a lot of social pressure to do that. I admire his integrity and his courage.

[roberttobias]

Interesting lecture on a fascinating scientist. Thank you to everyone at Skeptic.

[pcastonguay]

Too many segments where he describes a photo but does not show it.

[KipIngram]

24:00 - Well, are WE going to get to see this striking photograph?

[Henry-rf]

Would have been good to see the diagrams he was talking about (as at 34:00)

[michaeldebellis]

One of the reasons I dislike Wittgenstein is that he really bullied Turing when Turing tried to take his class. This is something I’ve really come to find is an excellent rule of thumb. There are exceptions but in general people who have depth like Turing, Einstein, Chomsky, tend to be very nice and welcoming because they KNOW they are good. Whereas people like Wittgenstein (and several other modern philosophers I could name) tend to be jerks because in spite of their reputation they don’t have much to say and deep down they know it.

[KipIngram]

I think it's telling that he called it "the imitation game." Because that's what artificial intelligence does. It IMITATES the human mind. And there's a difference between an imitation and the real thing.

[SuburbanDon]

At 35 minutes in. Show the friggin drawing !!!

[mc]

@1:31:30 _The Imitation Game_ depicted Alan Turins team developing a system called ULTRA which reduced the chance of anyone knowing Enigma was broken, the minimum specific reaction for the maximum overall effect, a mathematical statistics code for the broken code. I think that's what the question was referring to if not the answer.