The Laws of Thought

From the coauthor of Algorithms to Live By, an exploration of the quest to use mathematics to describe the ways we think, from its origins three hundred years ago to the ideas behind modern AI systems and the ways in which they still differ from human minds.

Everyone has a basic understanding of how the physical world works. We learn about physics and chemistry in school, allowing us to explain the world around us in terms of concepts like force, acceleration, and gravity—the Laws of Nature. However, we don't possess the same fluency with the concepts needed to understand the world inside us—the Laws of Thought. While the story of how mathematics has been used to unveil the mysteries of the universe is familiar, the story of its use in studying the mind remains largely untold.

There is no one better to tell that story than Tom Griffiths, the head of Princeton's AI Lab and a renowned expert in cognitive science. In this groundbreaking book, he explains the three major approaches to formalising thought—rules and symbols, neural networks, and probability and statistics—introducing each idea through the stories of the people behind it. As informed conversations about thought, language, and learning become ever more pressing in the age of AI, The Laws of Thought is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of technology.