Bernardo Nunes Gonçalves

Can machines think? I present a study of Alan Turing's iconic imitation game or test and its central question. Seventy years of commentary has been produced about Turing's 1950 proposal. The now legendary "Turing test'' has grown a life of its own in the tradition of analytic philosophy with at best loose ties to the historical imitation tests (1948-1952) posed by Turing. I shall examine the historical and epistemological roots of Turing's various versions of imitation game or test and make the case that they came out from within a scientific controversy. Placing Turing's views in their historical, social and cultural context, I shall reclaim their scientific and philosophical value for the sake of the discussion in the years to come.