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 laws of thought are as immutable as the laws of nature.
To understand the mind is to understand the universe.
Symbols are the shorthand of thought.
Probability teaches us to live with uncertainty.
The intellect delights in the harmony of logical forms.
Mathematics reveals the order beneath chaos.
Reason is the light that guides the soul.
The foundation of all science is observation and logic.
In logic, as in life, consistency is key.
The universe speaks in the language of mathematics.
Thought is the bridge between the material and the spiritual.
Logic is the anatomy of reasoning.
Happiness arises from the pursuit of truth.
The mind operates by fixed laws, discoverable through analysis.
Education should cultivate the logical faculties.
Truth is eternal, and logic its guardian.
The laws of probability govern human affairs.
Reflection on one's life reveals patterns of logic.
Mathematics is not invention, but discovery.
The soul finds rest in the certainty of logical truth.
Contemporaries of George Boole
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of George Boole (1815–1864).