On the Algebra in Boole's Laws of Thought

Abstract

This article explores the ideas that went into George Boole's development of an algebra for logical inference in his book The Laws of Thought. We explore in particular his wife Mary Boole's claim that he was deeply influenced by Indian logic and argue that his work was more than a framework for processing propositions. By exploring parallels between his work and Indian logic, we are able to explain several peculiarities of this work.