Before Artificial Intelligence became a part of technology, it was a part of thinking.
Philosophers — the great thinkers of history — were the first people to ask:
“How do humans think, reason, and make decisions?”
This curiosity laid the foundation for AI reasoning.
Meet Aristotle — The First Logic Master
Aristotle, a famous Greek philosopher and scientist, is often called the father of logic.
He developed a system called Formal Logic, which helps us reason step by step using clear rules.
Aristotle’s Rulebook of Thinking
1. Deductive Thinking (General → Specific)
We start with general truths and reach a specific conclusion.
Example:
- All humans are mortal.
- Socrates is a human.
- Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
This is a logical, structured way of thinking — very similar to how computers reason today.
2. Inductive Thinking (Specific → General)
We observe specific cases and make a general rule.
Example:
- Riya and Rahul are humans.
- Both need air to live.
- Therefore, all humans need air.
This helps machines learn from examples — the basis of machine learning later in AI.
Another Classic Example
- All dogs are animals.
- Rex is a dog.
- Therefore, Rex is an animal.
This simple logical deduction inspired the “if–then” structure used in AI.
How Philosophy Connects to AI
Philosophy gave AI the idea of reasoning rules — known today as if–then logic or rule-based reasoning.
Examples:
Real Life:
- If it’s raining → take an umbrella.
- If it’s sunny → wear sunglasses.
In AI:
- If temperature > 100°C → trigger alarm.
- If face matches database → allow entry.
School Example:
- If student scores 90+ → give gold star.
- Priya scored 95 → Priya gets a gold star!
Food Example:
- All fruits contain vitamins.
- Apple is a fruit.
- Therefore, apple contains vitamins.
From Aristotle to AI Robots
Early AI researchers studied how humans think logically, and used the same logic to teach machines how to make decisions.
So while AI doesn’t directly use Aristotle’s philosophy, his logic and reasoning style inspired the if–then rules that power modern AI systems.
In Simple Words
Philosophy gave AI the power to reason logically and make smart decisions — the same way humans do.