Sonnet 6 by George Boole (1815-1865)
To note… Mathematician, philosopher, logician, poet, first professor of mathematics at then newly formed Queen's College Cork (now University College Cork), and astonishingly self-taught for having to brilliantly develop then establish what later became known as Boolean algebra/logic.
Thou that in secret chambers dost portray
The pictures of the past, whence some return,
And some, like ashes in the buried urn,
Lie hid, not lost, till one Diviner Ray
Shall through thy inmost caverns pour the day;
Oh, Memory! If to me thy lessons stern
Sometimes appear, let me not less discern
The deep and wholesome wisdom they convey;
But when the years to vanity betrayed
Rise threat'ning from gulfs to which they fled
Give me to see in each reproachful shade
A messenger, on solemn errand sped;
`Tis not with purpose vain they they invade
The nightly pillow and the wakeful bed.
June 1849
According to Desmond MacHale, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at University College Cork, in his book The Poetry of George Boole (Oct 2020)...
"On the surface, this sonnet would appear to be a straightforward tribute to the physical and spiritual aspects of memory, but in the light of subsequent events, perhaps it has a deeper significance than even Boole himself may have been aware of. It (Sonnet 6) was written in 1849, between the publications of his two major books, The Mathematical Analysis of Logic in 1847, and The Laws of Thought in 1854. In the hands and fertile mind of Claude Shannon (1916-2001) these books led to an algebraic formulation of the operation of electronic switching circuits and eventually to the invention of the modern digital computer. Boole relates that he was blessed with an almost photographic memory which he later described in the following words:
This does not result so much from strength of memory as from the power of arrangement which provides its proper place in the mind for every fact and idea and thus enables me to find at once what I want just as you would know in a well-ordered set of drawers where to lay your hand in a moment upon any article you required.
In Sonnet 6, was Boole now thinking about the physical process of memory in the human brain, and how information is stored there, and why certain memories 'lie hid but not lost'?"
Hence the necessary prerequisites or building blocks (among others) towards the Digital/Information Age; the refinement of the binary numbering system by Leibniz, the further development of algebra/logic by Boole otherwise known as Boolean algebra/logic, the expansion of truth tables by Wittgenstein, the proliferation of logic gates then formation of the Digital Circuit Design Theory by Shannon, on shoulders and/or in collaboration of many others.
To topically digress a bit, it is interesting the consistency that persists throughout all of life, that is to say, the same aforesaid processes and progressions regarding all pursuits then formations of knowledge, including the study of theology.
Theology of course is the reliance on Scripture as first or primary source thereby dogma and doctrine may be determined, preceded by Logic's deduction then induction (ratiocination), categorization, discussion among many, proposition, discussion again among many, repetition of any or all priorly, and finally conclusion. This is not to suggest such human endeavors supersede divine revelation, for reasoning have limits as well flaws per propensities for errors and excesses, along with preferences, biases, prejudices, jealousies, envies as driven by covetousness ever skulking and lurking. So it is for all sciences. To Christians who would otherwise dismissively kneejerk per such notions regarding logic, I defer to the 19th and early 20th century Dutch Reformed theologian and polymath Abraham Kuyper...
"It is, indeed, a patent fact, that in every science man is the thinking agent, and if he shall undertake intellectual pursuits in an accurate and prepared way, and in the full consciousness of self, the knowledge and practice of the faculty of thought are indispensable to him. A theologian who undervalues Logic, as being little necessary to him, simply disarms himself. This was by no means the practice of our older theologians. They always emphasized most strongly the study of formal logic, together with its related arts."
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology (1894)
If the above meanderings' interconnections elude, I would suggest to not toss it aside, rather to study, ponder, labor over it, perhaps over scotch whiskey and fine tobacco, then reconsider.
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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.
Is 1:18 / Mt 5:9 / 2 Tm 2:15 / Cl 3:23
