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. But douglas hofstadters book is a more ambitious project. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. Irrationality is the square root of all evil sep, 1983 scientific american 249 3 article reprinted in metamagical themas 1985 which statement seems more true. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. This is the riddle that drove hofstadter to write this extraordinary book. For the general reader and the computer techie alike, this book still sets a standard. The emperors new mind by roger penrose and godel, escher, bach. Does an i exert genuine power over the particles in our brain, or is it helplessly pushed around by the laws of physics. Godel, escher, bach is a great examination of spellbinding contemplations at the center of mental science. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of i, 2 3 consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. Douglas hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington. Douglas hofstadter project gutenberg selfpublishing. Douglas grew up on the campus of stanford university, where his father was a professor.
It taught me to look for levels of meaning and metadata or metalevels of meaning. Nov 22, 20 twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. Hofstadters clean, lucid prose offers a deeper understanding of the topics covered in this book. Douglas hofstadter on why ai is far from intelligent. I think that would be an interesting but difficult project one that i suspect would appeal to hofstadter himself. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. It has taken 5 months for me to complete this book, wondering how long it would have taken hofstadter to complete this beast.
Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 in new york, new york is an american academic. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Feb 04, 2018 douglas hofstadter ar mest kand som forfattare till godel, escher, bach. Douglas hofstadter, the pulitzer prizewinning author of godel, escher. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned straightforwardly with the way of maps or interfaces between formal frameworks. Escher, and the composer johann sebastian bach, and finding symmetries and connections in their works that shed light on cognition, systems, and meaning itself. The man who would teach machines to think the atlantic. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of i, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is a moving and. An eternal golden braid 20th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author 20anniversary ed by hofstadter, douglas r isbn.
No wonder nolan himself was inspired from some of the art inspired from escher. Later in life, he discovered a latent love for geometries of many types, and a special delight in. A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carroll a vintage book. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system. It won both the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and a national book award at that time called the american book award for science.
His previous books are the pulitzer prizewinning godel, escher, bach. Bach, the graphic art of escher and the mathematical theorems of godel, as well as ideas drawn from logic, biology, psychology, physics and linguistics, douglas hofstadter illuminates one of the greatest mysteries of. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning physicist robert hofstadter. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. Hofstadter, 9780465026562, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems.
These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadter s first book length journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. An eternal golden braid it is an inherent property of intelligence that it can jump out of the task which it is performing, and survey what it has done. Godel escher bach by hofstadter, first edition abebooks. See all 11 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Winner of the pulitzer prizea metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis. Godel,escher,bachan enternal golden braid by douglas r. An eternal golden braid by hofstadter, douglas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jul 08, 2008 douglas hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington. 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. Douglas hofstadter combines and links the various themes associated with the characters in the title and some others in fascinating and imaginative ways.
Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Hofstadter published by a vintage book vintage booksa division of random house, inc. It is also central to two classics of cognitive science. To accompany each expository chapter, the author has provided a whimsical dialogue cast in the form of a bach composition. Then again, as indicated by hofstadter, the formal framework that. An eternal golden braid pdf is still a miracle today, although it has been on the bestseller list for more than 20 years. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. What is a self, and how can a self come out of inaminate matter. Douglas hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is a mathematician, cognitive scientist, and pulitzer prize winning author quotes. Hofstadter douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of i, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. Sep 21, 2011 godel, escher, bach is easily my favourite book, and has been for the thirtyodd years since i first read it.
Godel, escher, bach an eternal golden braid douglas r. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Science hardcover winner national book awards 1980 about the book. Douglas hofstadter winner, national book awards 1980. It would amount to a complex translation of the book from a visual form to an audible form. An eternal golden braid, and i am a strange loop, and more on. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the cell, if consciousness can emerge out of a formal. Dec 24, 2015 godel,escher,bachan enternal golden braid by douglas r.
Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. Why isnt the douglas hofstadter book godel, escher, bach. Jan, 2016 while godels theorem is highly abstract, it has important implications for such questions as, is the brain a computer. 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. This book changed the way i think about the world forever. 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. For example, one dialogue has the form of a canon cancrizans, which is the same when read forward or backward. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
An eternal golden braid it is extremely interesting, then, to think about the meaning of the word form as it applies to constructions of arbitrarily complex shapes. More about this book science hardcover winner national book awards 1980. Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. An eternal golden braid is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter. Also, to look for structure but also look for metastructures. If you buy this book, do every exercise he has you do in the book. This book is pure genius, it was like watching one of those christopher nolans movie. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
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