daemon@watmath.UUCP (05/27/84)
Subject: Re saquiqly : net.motss
> "Probably because it wasn't really relevant to the situation."
True enough, but then come to think of it I was told absolutely nothing
about him (his job/other work or qualifications)
but just expected to swallow his existence and relevence to computer
science with a line like:
"Turing came up with idea that .... blah blah blah"
with the prof knowing full well that throughout my career I will be
seeing vague awe-struck references to this "genius".
Why should I believe he's a genius, I was told nothing about him other
than his one idea. Why does his name keep creeping up as if people
were expected to be totally familiar with his work?
This touches on my vague uneasiness about the education system
that shovels bare skeletons of information into students without any
historical, or sociological background.
Turings gayness could very well had impact on his work, he
was "discovered" at the height of his career and one wonders how this
affected the "system" in guiding his research.
I quote the Body Politic:
"...his efforts to meet men legally in Europe were obstructed by
British security, which had no love for homosexuals who took their
knowlege of state secrets to gay meeting places on the continent.
In June 1954, without warning, Alan Turing dipped an apple in cyanide,
bit it, and died."
I realize that there isn't time for trivia in course-work, but I feel
that more time should be given over to "backgrounding" people and
events to encourage independent reading and thought.
By the way, thankyou for reminding me about Oscar Wilde.
There is some belief that Tchaikowski's gayness may have guided some
of his musical compositions (or rather, life within Russian society as
a closet gay) but none of the conventional education system
told me this, I discovered it by accident during some research into
Russian composers.
- Ken Dykes
Software Development Group, University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Ca<>