It does give an introduction to godels theorems, bachs music and eschers art, but the underlying theme is more general, related to abstract formal systems and their capabilities. Computer models of the fundamental mechanisms of thought by douglas r. Talking salsa with douglas hofstadter, enigmatic author of. I love line equations and finding slope intercept form, because i understand it. I also love reading about all of those fields of inquiry. I found my copy used, with withered pages and a somewhat aged spine. Goodreads members who liked godel, escher, bach also liked. What finally emerged, in 1979, was godel, escher, bach. However, the recordplayers in this metaphor dont actually work like recordplayers in.
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 computers attain human intelligence. Godel, escher, bach is really something unique and special. I guess the most classic example is the lottery, but id like something in the form of a book rather than a short story. This critically acclaimed book won the pulitzer prize in the nonfiction category and the national book award for science. This post is part of a series in which influencers describe the books that. If it helps so far my favorite chapter in uzumaki has been the jack in the box chapter. An eternal golden braid by douglas hofstadter basic books, 1979. About the same time i read godel, escher, bach i also fell in love with a book called the recursive universe by. I just purchased i am a strange loop by douglas, also i am planning on reading the minds i.
Borrowing a page from lewis carroll who might well have been a fan of this book, each chapter presents dialogue between the tortoise and achilles, as well as other characters who dramatize concepts discussed later in more detail. Then i read godel, escher, bach and realized that i didnt even begin to. Godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. Escher, bach was making abstruse mathematical topics like undecidability. There has been nothing like it in computer science before or since. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, by douglas r. The 20th anniversary edition of godel, escher, bach. Jun 24, 2015 talking salsa with douglas hofstadter, enigmatic author of godel, escher, bach the cognitive scientist douglas hofstadter is well known for his pioneering work on artificial intelligence, his brilliant writing about language and identity, and for his classic, pulitzer prizewinning book, godel, escher, bach. An eternal golden braid in simple step and you can save it now. May 01, 2005 because godel made so much of selfreference and paradox, previous books about his work like douglas hofstadters godel, escher, bach tend to emphasize the playfulness of his ideas.
Why i dont love godel, escher, bach infinite negative. An eternal golden braid, one of the most captivating books i have ever read. An eternal golden braid book online at best prices in india on. Im really feeling japanese horror and would love a haunted housefacility or even city. There are many ways to read geb including attempting to divine the authors own subsequently stated intent. I love their spines lined up on the bookshelf, staring back at me, waiting. Jan 05, 2014 in the same way that bachs music, eschers art, or godels proof cannot go out of date, they can only become dated. An eternal golden braid is the best ebook you want. The book godel, escher, bach geb is an imaginative exploration of the nature of consciousness, as seen through the metaphorical lenses of mathematician kurt godels selfreferential logic, artist m. Hofstadter examines several different translations of the victorian author lewis carrols celebrated nonsense lyric jabberwocky from through the lookingglass and what alice. An eternal golden braid was published by penguin uk in 2000. I think richard hamming would tell me to tell you that.
But then, im biased i loved her so, and still and still i do. Questing for the essence of mind and pattern by douglas r. It explores the question of whether computers will ever be able to think like people. Just thirty, with a wellpaid job, depression and no love life, the narrator and. This post is part of a series in which influencers describe the books.
Everybodys favorite is the concept of entropy, a measure of disorder in thermodynamics. Ernest davis, new york university recently, while trying, like everyone else, to think deep thoughts about deep blue, i recalled a. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter. Jul 04, 2018 douglas hofstadters book godel, escher, bach. Dec 12, 20 these are very different books, despite i am a strange loop being a retelling of geb. Not including notes, my version of the book contained 737 very dense pages. Which should i read, i am a strange loop or godel escher bach. What are some books similar to godel, escher, bach. Godel escher bach by hofstadter, first edition abebooks. The book attempts to put forward the outline of a theory of intelligence, by drawing from an incredibly wide array of disciplines not just the three mathematics, art and music, which are implied by the title but also logical systems, computer science, genetics there are. The name of the comic is a portmanteaulike play on the following. I consider both among my absolute favourite books, but for very different reasons. It has a youthful vitality and a wonderful brilliance, and i think that it may become something of a classic. This is a hard one to describe but i always enjoy rnosleep stories where the setting features a small town where something is off or creepy.
I read in bed and dont really want a book about math, a programming language, or development methodologyi love such books. However, the recordplayers in this metaphor dont actually work like record players in. Hofstadters great achievement in godel, escher, bach was making abstruse mathematical topics like undecidability, recursion, and strange loops accessible and remarkably entertaining. Godel, escher, bach was a triumphantly successful presentation of quite difficult concepts for a popular audience. Its definitely in my top 10 of books about fairy tales, classical music and. You can get any ebooks you wanted like godel, escher, bach. Mar 09, 2019 bach, escher and godels strange loops may have the answer in 1979, a cult book by douglas hofstadter explored consciousness via a mathematical idea found in art and music. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
Like a kidnapping victim who falls in love with his captor, these books. Martin gardner, scientific american in some ways, godel, escher, bach is an entire humanistic education between the covers of a single book. Godel, escher, bach book club, december 2017 youtube. Mar 30, 2000 twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r hofstadters godel, escher, bach. This drawing was apparently made during that period, while attending a talk that he didnt like. Is it still worth reading godel, escher, bach by douglas r. Why i dont love godel, escher, bach infinite negative utility. Godel, escher, bach is the type of book that one is lucky to read once in a lifetime. I even love the way that the ending of that book pisses me off every. Its a venerated book among a certain stripe of computer scientist and mathematician, and its reputed to have inspired generations of people to pursue the study of logic and artificial intelligence. What are some books that revolve around the topics of maths. An eternal golden braid is a classic text thats had a strong influence on countless people. If you like godel, escher, bach you might like similar books darwin among the machines.
Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Mathematics, the kabbalah, and the search for infinity, mind and nature, the act of creation. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel.
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. A very personal attempt to say how it is that animate beings can come out of inanimate matter. Books so big, like bricks, you could drown yourself in a pool with them if youre not careful. Ive read a lot of lovecraft and lovecraftian horror in 2019 so id like to stay take a break from that.
Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. Like a kidnapping victim who falls in love with his captor, these books capture and sequester my mind for so long that i begin to feel deluded that i love them more than anything else in the world. Only you can decide if your time would be more richly spent on something else, but i suspect the answer is yes, reading geb is probably a good use of your time. Secret history kurt godel and the secrets of genius and abstraction. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. Dec 28, 2017 godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. Basic books has sold the paperback rights to douglas hofstadters. A new journey into hofstadters mind scientific american. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity. Hofstadter was the most challenging nonfiction book that i have ever read. He is an american author who has written several books about philosophy, mathematics, and science. I bought the 20th anniversary edition after the first read, its a must for rereading. The acceleration of just about everything, the mystery of the aleph.
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