Hofstadter felt a need to write a new book because so many people misperceived geb as a hodgepodge of neat things with no central theme. This weekend i read a short fragment from douglas hofstadter s book i am a strange loop at my friends james and lucys wedding james is the person who initially introduced me to douglas hofstadter s earlier book godel, escher, bach. Are you interested in zen buddhism, math, fractals, logic, paradoxes, infinities, art, language, computer science, physics, music, intelligence, consciousness and unified theories. It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadter s first book length journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. Godel, escher, and bach are deeply intertwined in this very short dialogue. It is one thing to analyze the relation between three applications their results in math, visual art, and music of selfreferencing thought, and quite another to analyze the entity doing the thinking. Escher and composer johann sebastian bach, geb expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. Buy a cheap copy of i am a strange loop book by douglas r. Geb was not just an influential book, it was a book fully of the future. Most of i am a strange loop is recycled from douglas hofstadter s previous books, especially goedel escher bach or geb, to its friends. This is the original 1979 version which is a direct scan of all the pages.
As in his other books, hofstadter has written a deeply. Hofstadter was written in 2008 and is the authors follow up to godel, escher, bach, also known as geb. Apr 20, 2007 so if you have questions about the analogues to bachs music hofstadter makes, i will be happy to try to answer them. An eternal golden braid, first published in 1979, won both the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and a national book award at that time called the american book award for science. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. On what geb is really all about from godel, escher, bach. Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. Douglas grew up on the campus of stanford university, where his father was a professor. Escher and composer johann sebastian bach, discussing common themes in their work and lives. An eternal golden braid geb has been a cult book like hardly. Douglas hofstadter gdel escher bach pdf bach made an impromptu visit to king frederick the great of prussia, and was. It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account hofstadter s law. Douglas hofstadter s godel, escher, bach is one of my favourite books. An eternal golden braid 20th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author 20anniversary ed by hofstadter, douglas r isbn.
Ever since its publication in 1979, douglas hofstadters godel, escher, bach. Years later, when i was looking for a change, i started thinking about geb. Douglas hofstadter s classic nonfiction godel, escher, bach. In an interview to wired magazine a few years back, douglas r. Douglas hofstadter s new collection of essays begins with a lengthy discussion of selfreference and ends with a deeplyfelt plea for nuclear sanity. What do one mathematician, one artist, and one musician all have in common. It is a book that attempts to discover what self really means.
At the age of 34, he achieved national prominence with his first book, godel, escher, bach. In an interview to wiredmagazine a few years back, douglas r. The central idea is that of a strange loop, in which the same message is interpreted on multiple semantic levels. Sep 10, 2009 in this presidential lecture, cognitive scientist douglas hofstadter examines the role and contributions of analogy in cognition, using a variety of analogies to illustrate his points. Hofstadter, 9780465026562, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Shortly after gebs smashing success, hofstadter and philosopher daniel dennett composed and arranged and, in 1981, published the minds i. Douglas hofstadter excerpts from hofstadters books. So, for my next visit to a desert island, give me sun, sand, water and geb, and ill. I will also be happy to discuss any questions you have about geb cannot promise to answer, but i can tell you what i think, solutions to the puzzles in the book, or questions that reading geb raises. However, i dont yet see how factx could be defined given the allowed symbols in tnt. Get ready to chase me down a rabbit hole into douglas hofstadters pulitzer prize winning book godel, escher, bach. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are.
In both his writing and his teaching, hofstadter stresses the concrete, constantly using examples and analogies, and avoids the abstract. In this book, hofstadter observes that due to the attention that other aspects of geb garnered, the main point, that of strange loops being the origin of the human. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning physicist robert hofstadter. A strange loop made possible only by the magic of reprints. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity.
Hofstadter, which describe the book as one of his inspirations when writing geb. If you like hofstadter s writing, definitely check out his i am a strange loop, which is meant to more explicitly tie together all the concepts explored in geb. The idea of the strange loop is remarkably applicable to a wide range of ideas, and i think eric would lead a good conversation about it. Fantasies and reflections on self and soul, a marvelous collection of essays and short fiction, each piece followed by a reflection by one of the editors. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher, and the mathematics of godel. Douglass hofstadters pi in the sky the washington post. A new book by douglas hofstadter does most of the work for me. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. Hofstadter seemed poised to become an indelible part of the culture. Even though i had no cs background,i decided to apply to a few ai programs and wound up going to the university of edinburgh for an msc. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or. Douglas hofstadter excerpts from hofstadter s books.
If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the cell, if consciousness can emerge out of a formal system of firing neurons, then so too will. An eternal golden braid often called geb, as our guide book. Winner of the pulitzer prize a metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carroll douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. An eternal golden braid commonly geb is a pulitzer prizewinning book by douglas hofstadter, described as a metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carroll. An eternal golden braid which won the pulitzer prize for nonfiction.
Godel, escher, bach 20th anniversary edition douglas r. Godel, escher, bach geb debates the question of consciousness and the possibility of artificial intelligence. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loopamong. A brief statement of the essence of hofstadters 2007 book, i am a strange loop and therefore of the essence of consciousness and inviduality.
The most recent, published this year by basic, is douglas hofstadter s i am a strange loop. Im too short on sleep to work on my book and too wired to take a nap. If you open up the 20th anniversary edition of geb, youll see that the first thing douglas hofstadter does in the introduction the very first thing is grouse that nobody seems to understand what his book is about. Jan 05, 2014 i read geb as my subway book, back in 1999 during a work stint in paris, during my daily commute to work. Hofstadter has had a long, interesting career in the field of interesting mathematics and links between theory and real life. And there is some new material, prompted by the untimely death of hofstadters beloved wife in 1993. It seems like were missing some construct to express a recursive formula, but hofstadter states on page 417 that primitive recursive predicates are represented in tnt which implies they. I am a strange loop free summary by douglas hofstadter. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter. Most of i am a strange loop is recycled from douglas hofstadters previous books, especially goedel escher bach or geb, to its friends.
I am a strange loop 2007, basic books is written from a naturalistic perspective and hofstadter definitely isnt trying to prove gods existence, but he does thoroughly deconstruct the i and delivers step 2. In 1979 hofstadter a 34yearold professor of computer science at indiana university published a book called godel escher bach. Hofstadter showed how prime could be defined on the top of page 212. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loopamong them, the size of a soul and the vagaries of thoughtand proposes persuasive answers that surprised me both with their simplicity and their sense of optimism. Jul 10, 2019 why isnt the douglas hofstadter book godel, escher, bach available as an. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. Get ready to chase me down a rabbit hole into douglas hofstadter s pulitzer prize winning book godel, escher, bach. And there is some new material, prompted by the untimely death of hofstadter s beloved wife in 1993. An eternal golden braid 1979 explores recursion and other aspects of mathematics in music, logic and art, circling recursively around kurt godel, maurits escher, and johann sebastian bachand, most appropriately, lewis carroll the penname for a major nineteenth century mathematician. Well, then, how about describing geb as a book that shows how math. Most of hofstadters books feature some kind of structural alternation. Through illustration and analysis, the book discusses how selfreference and formal rules allow systems to acquire meaning.
When he was 27, douglas hofstadter wrote godel, escher, bach, a bestselling book loved by precocious teenagers and computer hackers. An eternal golden braid book by douglas hofstadter. Godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter the 301st. In a place analogous to gebs interchapter dialogues, le ton beaus chapters are separated or joined. Commonly referred to as geb, this book is a mesmerising meditation on consciousness, mathematics and creativity. I read geb as my subway book, back in 1999 during a work stint in paris, during my daily commute to work. In the end, we selfperceiving, selfinventing, lockedin mirages are little miracles of selfreference. It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account hofstadter s law, and meaning lies as much in the mind of the reader as in the haiku.
But this is not necessarily a bad thing this actually makes it a good first book for the uninitiated. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. Welldesigned and highly browsable, geb captured the imagination of a new generation of intellectuals. The man who would teach machines to think the atlantic. People called it the bible of artificial intelligence. Great find many of the versions listed on that site contain the same errors. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. Douglas hofstadter, justifiably famous for godel, escher, bach wrote about the much trickier subject of mind and personal identity in this 2004 book. This sentence contradicts itself no actually it doesnt. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is a moving and profound inquiry into the nature of mind. I will not go any further in describing what geb is about and save that for a later time. An eternal golden braid commonly geb is a pulitzer prizewinning book by douglas hofstadter, described as a metaphorical fugue on. So geb is referenced in a book that geb itself refers to. In his magnum opus, geb, he explores what it is to be a selfthinking machine, and how, by looking at it from some other perspectives, we.
Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nat. Not even its publishers or readers who just absolutely love it. It is a philosophy book that reads like music, a work of art that many consider second to none. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems.
133 651 148 502 1564 1154 63 46 356 805 1236 152 651 1534 1424 996 36 1212 1392 313 1486 180 822 1069 450 781 72 127 1295 621 1256 1392