George Boole
An English mathematician and philosopher, creator of Boolean algebra, which is fundamental to computer science.
Most quoted
"The design of the following treatise is to investigate the fundamental laws of those operations of the mind by which reasoning is performed; to give expression to them in the language of a Calculus, and upon this foundation to establish the science of Logic and construct its method; to make that method itself the basis of a general method for the application of the mathematical doctrine of Probabilities; and, finally, to collect from the various elements of truth brought to view in the course of these inquiries some probable intimations concerning the nature and constitution of the human mind."
— from An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, 1854
"The design of the following treatise is to investigate the fundamental laws of those operations of the mind by which reasoning is performed; to give expression to them in the language of a Calculus, and upon this foundation to establish the science of Logic and construct its method; to make that method itself the basis of a general method for the application of the mathematical doctrine of Probabilities; and finally, to collect from the various elements of truth brought to view in the course of these inquiries some probable intimations concerning the nature and constitution of the human mind."
— from An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, 1854
"We may in fact lay aside the logical interpretation of the symbols in the given equation; convert them into quantitative symbols, susceptible only of the values 0 and 1; perform upon them as such all the requisite processes of solution; and finally restore to them their logical interpretation."
— from An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, 1854
All quotes by George Boole (339)
The mind is not a tabula rasa, but is equipped with certain innate capacities for understanding and for reasoning.
The ultimate goal of all scientific inquiry is to understand the fundamental nature of reality.
The laws of thought are the very framework upon which all knowledge is built.
The true beauty of mathematics lies in its simplicity and its elegance.
The human intellect is a powerful instrument, capable of unraveling the most intricate mysteries of the universe.
The progress of science is a testament to the power of human reason.
The laws of thought are not arbitrary conventions, but are deeply rooted in the nature of existence itself.
No matter how correct a mathematical theorem may appear to be, one ought never to be satisfied that there is not something in it that remains to be understood.
The general problem of the solution of equations of the second degree is one of the most important in the whole of mathematics.
The design of the following treatise is to investigate the fundamental laws of those operations of the mind by which reasoning is performed; to give expression to them in the language of a Calculus, and upon this foundation to establish the science of Logic and construct its method.
The laws of thought are not arbitrary, but are founded in the constitution of the human mind.
The principle of the symbolical method is to proceed from the known to the unknown, by means of general symbols.
The true ground of the symbolical method is the principle of the permanence of equivalent forms.
The laws of thought are to the operations of the intellect what the laws of motion are to the operations of matter.
Logic is not the science of things, but of the relations of things.
The object of the present treatise is to investigate the fundamental laws of those operations of the mind by which reasoning is performed.
The value of a science is to be measured by the extent to which it subserves the purposes of human life.
The true logic of the future will be a logic of probabilities.
Mathematics is the language of nature.
No matter how we may define the process of reasoning, it is at least a process of comparison, a process of discerning relations, and of drawing inferences from them.
Contemporaries of George Boole
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of George Boole (1815–1864).