For no particular reason, I was sitting around thinking about who my heroes are. Without further ado:

Alan Turing has been one of my heroes for a long time. He was pretty much everything an intellectual should be. He was one of a handful of people to all but invent artificial intelligence, cryptanalysis, and computer science. And not just because he was incredibly smart, but because he was creative. While everyone (including him) was still doing the math, he was already thinking about the turing test. But he wasn't just a brilliant academic; he also applied what he knew to the war effort, helping to crack the Nazi enigma code and keep intelligence flowing to allied commanders. and yet he was persecuted for his homosexuality and (probably) killed himself after being convicted of indecency and forced to undergo a "cure". I can only imagine what else he might have done had he lived.


My second hero would have to be the character Kyuzo from Seven Samurai. My father and I saw this movie several times when I was a kid, and Kyuzo was always my favorite. He's the most skilled with the sword, and says only what's necessary, neither boasting nor carrying on. I've always admired that kind of restraint and try to imitate it; I'd like to be the sort of person who, when he speaks, is going to say something worth hearing. But he's not just a strong, silent type. At first, the others think him arrogant in his skill, but he eventually accepts the mission willingly. And he has flashes of humor and gentleness, particularly with the young samurai. In the end he dies, killed by a gun. More recently I've gotten to admire Kambei, the wise and humble leader, and Heihachi, the good-natured self-deprecating one, as well, but Kyuzo was my first and still favorite samurai. While we're on the subject of strong, silent types, I may was well mention another hero: the Contintal Op, Dashiell Hammett's unnamed detective, who finishes his jobs efficiently and effectively, with no vanity, not much yap, and exactly as much violence as is needed.

I have to mention another childhood hero: Benjamin Franklin. I think I especially admired him for being one of those 18th century renaissance men, who dabbled in (and had an effect on) many different areas. I remember reading about his childhood when I was young, and of course the whole lightning/kite story always impressed me. My parents used to jokingly call him my godfather, because he founded the University of Pennsylvania, where they met -- without Ben Franklin, there'd be no me. I suppose if asked today for heroes among the founding fathers though, I'd pick Thomas Jefferson. It's his thought that underlies so much of the declaration of independence, constitution, and bill of rights that I especially value. He was a major proponent of concepts like individual rights and the separation of church and state.

Finally two female heroes that I admire both as role models and as hott women: Louise Brooks and Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet. Both were (are) witty and intelligent, independent, and observant. Lizzy is, of course, in many ways a typical young woman of her time, and while she doesn't break out of the basic bounds of her society, she is fairly independent-minded within those bounds. Some of the best moments of the book are when she tells off someone she's supposed to be frightened of. She's also clever and loyal, observant (and empathetic) of human nature, stands up for herself when she's right, and (eventually) admits when she's wrong. Lulu was in some ways similar, a witty and intelligent woman, independent-minded and stubborn (sometimes I wish she'd been less stubborn in Hollywood and had produced many more movies for us to enjoy), and an insightful observer and critic. She was also an actress like no other, with an expressive beauty perfectly suited to her best movies.

I won't try to make this a meme deal or anything, but I'd be interested to hear who my friends' heroes are as well. I've got the ball rolling, fess up.