<p>This paper presents a short historical analysis of Alan Turing’s work on artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on its early beginnings and philosophical nature, and argues that it remains fresh and inspiring even today. The discussion centres on how Turing typically approached philosophical questions concerning AI: namely, by introducing a conceptual device rooted in common sense to give a precise definition of some fundamental term, such as ‘intelligence’, ‘computer’, ‘learning’, or ‘thinking’. It is shown that Turing did not regard these definitions as true (metaphysical) definitions, and that the ultimate aim of this philosophical method was to enable clear and rigorous discourse and thus facilitate effective development of scientific theory.</p>