The Laws of Thought

“A rigorous and captivating account of how cognition can be modeled via three mathematical frameworks: logic, artificial neural networks, and probability theory.”–The Wall Street Journal

“Tom Griffiths offers a fascinating journey through the frameworks that have shaped our understanding of the mind. From early logic to artificial intelligence, Griffiths–the head of Princeton’s AI Lab–unpacks the math behind how we have tried to capture human thinking. Blending history, science, and cutting-edge research, this book is about the deep connections between artificial and human intelligence, and is a must-read for anyone curious about how we think, and how machines are learning to rival us.” –Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators

“The Laws of Thought is an engaging tour of how great minds have used math to crack the code of human thought. With delightful story-telling and memorable examples you’ll want to share with friends, Griffiths provides an essential guide for understanding the history of cognitive science and for how to best think about what intelligence means in a more AI-filled future.”–Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast

“Engaging… leaves you with a sturdy sense of the ‘languages’ we have to describe thought.”–New Scientist

“In an era obsessed by “thinking” machines, Tom Griffiths asks us to consider exactly what thinking is, and how it can be understood scientifically. Griffiths, one of the world’s most prominent cognitive scientists, provides us with a rich, entertaining, and highly accessible history of the search for the laws of cognition, and how our understanding of our own minds has evolved in tandem with our attempts to formalize and mechanize intelligence. This is an important and timely book that all thinking humans should read.”–Melanie Mitchell, author of Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans

“In The Laws of Thought, Tom Griffiths invites readers on a captivating exploration of the historical milestones that have shaped our understanding of intelligence. His insights illuminate the evolving relationship between human thought and artificial intelligence, encouraging us to reflect on what it truly means to be intelligent in an age dominated by machines. This book is an indispensable resource for navigating the complexities of our AI-driven world. Griffiths masterfully bridges the gap between theory and practicality, making it a must-read for both scholars and curious minds alike.”–Annie Duke, author of Thinking in Bets and Quit

Tom Griffiths is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Information Technology, Consciousness and Culture in the Departments of Psychology and Computer Science at Princeton University. He also directs Princeton’s Computational Cognitive Science Lab, a research group focused on understanding the mathematical foundations of human cognition, and the Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence, a new effort that supports innovative research efforts in AI and related fields. Griffiths is coauthor of the book Algorithms to Live By, and his award-winning research has been published in venues that include Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.