The Cognition Project Book Excerpt: The Laws of Thought
Feb 12, 2026
Introduction to a new book exploring the search for a mathematical theory of the mind. Traces historical attempts to formalize thought from Hobbes and Leibniz to Boole. Compares three cognitive frameworks: logic, neural networks, and Bayesian models. Discusses the rise of neural networks, limits of rule-based systems, and efforts to unify these approaches.
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Inner Laws Are Less Familiar Than Physical Laws
- We lack everyday fluency with the internal principles that govern thought compared to laws of nature.
- The book aims to reveal mathematical principles that explain how minds work, like Shepard's law of generalization.
Boole Connected Math And Thought
- George Boole's 19th-century algebra was the first real mathematical success at describing thought.
- That work led directly to formal logic and the development of computers.
A Summer That Sparked A Career
- Tom Griffiths recounts choosing to study mysterious subjects like philosophy and neural networks in university.
- He describes a summer obsession learning neural networks and asking to work in a professor's lab.
