author
George Boole
1815–1864
A largely self-taught mathematician and logician, he changed the way people think about reasoning by turning logic into a kind of algebra. His ideas later became one of the foundations of modern computing.
1 Audiobook
The calculus of logic
by George Boole
About the author
Born in Lincoln, England, in 1815, he grew up in a family of modest means and was largely self-educated. He taught from a young age and built a reputation through original work in mathematics, even without the traditional university path followed by many scholars of his time.
He is best known for creating what is now called Boolean algebra, a way of expressing logical relationships with mathematical symbols. That work helped reshape logic as a formal discipline, and it eventually became essential to digital circuits and computer science.
Much of his later career was spent in Ireland as the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College, Cork. He died in 1864, but his influence has lasted far beyond the 19th century, reaching into philosophy, mathematics, electronics, and software.