Alan Turing Pardon

[Ev0]

Not really knowing how to put it but Turing is probably my favourite man o' science from history.

I have great interest in his area of work and what he did, but personally I don't feel he should be pardoned.

Yes it was a horrible thing to have happen, but at the time it's how things were.

I don't understand. He was convicted of something that, at the time, was a crime. That it isn't now means nothing.

The PM has already issued an apology.

Exactly this, an official apology from whoever is what was needed, an acknowledgement of the fact it's something that should never have happened.

he should be a war hero.

Which he is, I don't think anyone thinks otherwise.

 

[do_ron_ron]

As the man responsible for saving more UK and allied lives than any politician or general he should have been honoured. Even if homsexuality was illegal his deeds should have far outweighed any thought of prosecution. We now hear that Cyril Smith was protected from prosecution for offences against minors much to the fury of Manchester police. Yet ten years earlier this colussus of mathematics was prosecuted for a realtionship. A pardon is the least the nation should do.

 

[Energize]

Did I say that?

I thought I was suggesting that middle aged persons (Of either sex/orientation) who were in the habit of trawling the street at night for anonymous teenage sexual partners (Of either sex/orientation) might be borderline paedophiles.

Is this an unreasonable suggestion? :-/

What on earth is a "borderline paedophile"?

 

[Angilion]

As the man responsible for saving more UK and allied lives than any politician or general he should have been honoured. Even if homsexuality was illegal his deeds should have far outweighed any thought of prosecution. [..]

You are arguing that any person considered important enough should be above the law.

That may be even worse than the more common argument on this issue, namely that modern laws should be retroactively applied to long before they came into effect.

Either idea is dreadful.

 

[estebanrey]

What on earth is a "borderline paedophile"?

People who watch 'Barely Legal' porn movies.

 

[Angilion]

[..] Yet ten years earlier this colussus of mathematics was prosecuted for a realtionship.

No, he wasn't. There was no relationship. It might have been prostitution. It might have been a pickup for sex. But it wasn't a relationship.

 

[Angilion]

What on earth is a "borderline paedophile"?

Strictly speaking, I suppose it would be someone who is sexually attracted to people who have recently started puberty. So around the 10-12 years old range. Strictly speaking, they wouldn't be paedophiles because that refers to people who are sexually attracted to children, i.e. people who haven't yet started puberty.

But the poster probably meant something very different, something not at all related to paedophilia, and was just using the word as a weapon.

Incidentally, the man in question was 19 at the time. So sex with him had absolutely nothing to do with paedophilia at all.

 

[genan]

Yes he should be pardoned, it would be a nice gesture. Anyone who says he is a criminal should have his brain checked.

 

[Edinho]

I think it is the way Turing was treated when the war ended that's the issue here.

He did shorten the war and saved tens of thousands of lives. He deserves it just for that.

 

[FunkyCowie]

Either you are implying that sexual assault/pedophilia will be legal in 50 years or that homosexuality is somewhat morally equal to pedophilia.

Either way you are wrong.

I am far from wrong, do you know whats going to happen in 50 years time? Because I don't.

Society's moral's change through the ages, society's moral's define law, in 50 years time due to certain circumstances people might have a lower moral belief than now.

Alan Turing should not be pardoned and he should be left as a martyr to remind us of our past failures.

Jimmy Saville (if all the allegations are true) should be left to rot in his grave in shame, but in 50 years time? who knows what will have happened? He may be exhumed, cloned and his visage be made to suffer in a gallery of immortal pain alongside others that have committed such crimes. Or he may be made into a martyr.

 

[Gilly]

Yes he should be pardoned, it would be a nice gesture. Anyone who says he is a criminal should have his brain checked.

He is a criminal.

If he's not then no pardon is needed

 

[genan]

He was treated as a criminal back than doesn`t mean it`s right to treat him as a criminal now.

It just feels morally wrong.

 

[estebanrey]

Strictly speaking, I suppose it would be someone who is sexually attracted to people who have recently started puberty. So around the 10-12 years old range.

That would be a hebephile

 

[Feek]

He was treated as a criminal back than doesn`t mean it`s right to treat him as a criminal now.

He was treated as a criminal because he was a criminal! He's treated as a hero now which is absolutely spot on but it doesn't change the fact that under the laws of the land at the time, he was a criminal.

It just feels morally wrong.

Not to me it doesn't.

 

[Ev0]

He was treated as a criminal back than doesn`t mean it`s right to treat him as a criminal now.

It just feels morally wrong.

But he's not treated as a criminal in most respects now though is he, he is revered as a wartime hero.

It's not like all he is remembered for is a bit of man fiddling is it.

Again yes it was a very sorry state of affairs what happened, but it was a different time back then.

 

[genan]

Well read the thread again, some people still call him a criminal, that was my issue.

 

[StriderX]

He was treated as a criminal back than doesn`t mean it`s right to treat him as a criminal now.

It just feels morally wrong.

Except he is DEAD, that means he cannot be tried under new laws...since he cant attend the hearing.

History is solidified, making it all sticky and viscous would be a very bad day indeed.

 

[Orion21]

Just curious what do people think should happen if say something that was a crime a year ago was decriminalised today, but there were people still in jail or other punishment from that offence that used to be a crime?

Should they be immediately released because the situation has changed? Or should they still have to carry out the remainder of their sentence despite it no longer being a criminal offence?

I know I think they should be immediately released if something like that were to occur.

 

[genan]

Except he is DEAD, that means he cannot be tried under new laws...since he cant attend the hearing.

History is solidified, making it all sticky and viscous would be a very bad day indeed.

No need for retrial, he can be pardoned posthumously, it`s nothing new

 

[Sankari]

Pardon Turing, but condemn the Greeks. They started it!