How Old is Boolean Logic?

Boolean logic was being used long before there were computers. We can go a little way back to when light bulbs were invented. There were no dimmer switches, so the light was either on or off.

George Boole (1815–1864) invented the mathematics for Boolean logic, but the actual concepts of Boolean logic are a part of civilization. I will give two examples of earlier logic, most theories have two inputs and one output (there can be more inputs but there should be only one output).

The first example is a farmer determining if the farm plans to sew a particular field, does the field need to be plowed?. The two inputs are: have I not started plowing the filed and have I finished plowing the field. If the answer to both questions are true, then the field is done and the farmer can go and sew the field or do something else. If the answer to either is false, then the field needs to be plowed.

Going back to hunter/gatherers, the same logic could be used to determine if someone needs to go hunting. The two inputs are that any member of the family is hungry and there is no food in storage. If the answer to both are true, then a hunt is needed. Otherwise other things, like weather, could be taken into account to determine if a hunt is advisable at this time.

We use Boolean logic in our daily lives, even if we do not realize it.

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