Stephen Hawking pushes for pardon for Alan Turing
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 15th Dec 2012 19:11 UTC
In the News "Peers and scientists including Professor Stephen Hawking are once again pushing for an official pardon for codebreaker Alan Turing. Turing's death from cyanide poisoning in 1954 was ruled a suicide, coming after his conviction for gross indecency at a time when homosexuality was illegal." The fact that he still hasn't been pardoned is an utter disgrace.
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RE[10]: No
by kwan_e on Sun 16th Dec 2012 10:27 UTC in reply to "RE[9]: No"
kwan_e
Member since:
2007-02-18

And that's exactly what I am arguing for, don't you understand? I would want children to learn that even if the government doesn't care the people themselves do instead of that the government cared about one, famous one and the rest were then forgotten.


But this isn't the government coming out with this plan apropos of nothing. It is the people pressuring the government, a government which had knocked back the plan before.

We need to get this fact straight.

The fact is that giving Turing a pardon would steal the thunder away from the rest


No, that is not a fact. Not a fact at all.

and given how short a public memory is people wouldn't anymore have the motivation for them; "you already got your pardon!"


And the same would happen if it happened your way:

"Well, they couldn't even give Turing a pardon. What's the point in doing anything further?"

We can all come up with fantasy scenarios and they prove exactly nothing.

Any message that the government says is simply too easy to forget or ignore, you need peers to make a long-lasting impression. Appeal to people themselves and you'll get a better result than you could ever get with a formal apology from a faceless government.


I don't buy into this "everything the government does is always bad" argument. I have no time for libertarian scaremongering.

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE[11]: No
by WereCatf on Sun 16th Dec 2012 10:32 in reply to "RE[10]: No"
WereCatf Member since:
2006-02-15

I don't buy into this "everything the government does is always bad" argument. I have no time for libertarian scaremongering.


This clearly says you're not seeing my argument at all. I never said or even implied anything like that, but if that's what you're seeing then there's no point in continuing any longer.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[12]: No
by kwan_e on Sun 16th Dec 2012 10:58 in reply to "RE[11]: No"
kwan_e Member since:
2007-02-18

"I don't buy into this "everything the government does is always bad" argument. I have no time for libertarian scaremongering.


This clearly says you're not seeing my argument at all. I never said or even implied anything like that, but if that's what you're seeing then there's no point in continuing any longer. "

Any message that the government says is simply too easy to forget or ignore,


I think rather than me not seeing your argument, you seemed to have missed my point that said "but this isn't just some government initiative". I think that argument addresses your argument by denying the premise of your argument.

That's why people should get behind this, so we can say with greater conviction that this is what the PEOPLE want, and not let the government take credit for it. If we leave it to just the current people who are making a noise, then yes, the message could be hijacked.

Ironically, it is your attitude, and the people who hold the same, that becomes the fulfilment of your own predictions.

Reply Parent Score: 2