But anyone used to reading douglas hofstadter will have learned to put up with. Godel, escher, bach is a great examination of spellbinding contemplations at the center of mental science. Douglas hofstadter godel, escher, bach le lezioni americane. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Jul 08, 2008 douglas hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington. Discover similar books recommended by the worlds most successful people in 2020. At one level, the book is about a parallel between three people. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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. Douglas hofstadter, the pulitzer prizewinning author of godel, escher. Douglas hofstadter combines and links the various themes associated with the characters in the title and some others in fascinating and imaginative ways. His previous books are the pulitzer prizewinning godel, escher, bach. An eternal golden braid by hofstadter, douglas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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. Hofstadter has 29 books on goodreads with 243069 ratings.
Winner of the pulitzer prizea metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis. He exemplifies this by providing examples of loops in backs music, eschers sketches, and godels theorems. Bach, escher and godels strange loops may have the answer. However, it seems to me that those ideas are all tied on a single question. 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. Hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington, where he likewise coordinates the center for research on concepts and cognition. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. 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. It has a youthful vitality and a wonderful brilliance and i. It has a youthful vitality and a wonderful brilliance and i think that it may become something of a classic. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nat. An eternal golden braid 20th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author 20anniversary ed by hofstadter, douglas r isbn. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research.
Godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter the strange loop phenomenon occurs whenever by moving upwards or downwards through the levels of some hierarchical system, we unexpectedly find ourselves right back where we started. For hofstadter, consciousness emerge as what he calls a strange loop. This year is the 40th anniversary of the publication of one of the cult books of my generation. An eternal golden braid fifth printing by hofstadter, douglas r. Sep 21, 2011 godel, escher, bach is easily my favourite book, and has been for the thirtyodd years since i first read it. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter.
Godel, escher and bach, written by douglas hofstadter, while the title would suggest it is discussion of a mathematician, an artist, and a composer, is a complex examination of how human beings develop perception and meaning. To accompany each expository chapter, the author has provided a whimsical dialogue cast in the form of a bach composition. Intelligence, art, music, and life are a strange loop. Quando godel, escher, bach venne pubblicato in america, nel 1979. But douglas hofstadter s book is a more ambitious project. Il fenomeno dello strano anello consiste nel fatto di. This is the riddle that drove douglas hofstadter to write this extraordinary book. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Hofstadter 1980, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Apparently, hofstadter wrote the book to explain how complex behavior such as cognition and consciousness emerges from the essential complexity of a system. And according to its author, most people who love the book missed its main point. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. This month we read godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter this is a fantastically weird and wonderful book.
What is a self, and how can a self come out of inaminate matter. He exemplifies this by providing examples of loops in backs music, escher s sketches, and godel s theorems. I dont think the book should be taken as seriously as it is taken by everyone, me not. Bach geeft douglas hofstad ter een briljante interpretatie van drie genieen. Godel, escher, bach is easily my favourite book, and has been for the thirtyodd years since i first read it. The man who would teach machines to think the atlantic. This month we read godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter.
Why are some people angry at the book godel, escher, bach. Douglass hofstadters pi in the sky the washington post. It won both the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and a national book award at that time called the american book award for science. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. 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. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. 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. For example, one dialogue has the form of a canon cancrizans, which is the same. Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. An eternal golden braid is a classic text thats had a strong influence on countless people. 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. 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. Godel, escher, bach book club, december 2017 youtube.
Douglas hofstadters godel, escher, bach geb youtube. In 1979, a cult book by douglas hofstadter explored consciousness via a. Hofstadter non ne e affatto convinto e nelle oltre ottocento pagine di godel, escher, bach vuole. In order to impart his original and personal view on the core mystery of human existence our intangible sensation of iness hofstadter defines the playful yet seemingly paradoxical notion of strange loop, and explicates this idea using analogies from many. 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. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity. Now, in the ai revolution, that concept could solve a vital question. The man who would teach machines to think douglas hofstadter, the pulitzer prizewinning author of godel, escher, bach, thinks weve lost sight of what artificial intelligence really means. Aug 09, 2017 it is not pseudoscience, a term which properly applies to books and theories that purport to prove something but whose methods fall short of scientific or mathematical rigor. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the. Mar 09, 2019 in 1979, a cult book by douglas hofstadter explored consciousness via a mathematical idea found in art and music. In his title professor hofstadter yokes together godel, johann sebastian bach and the dutch artist maurits corpelis escher, and a substantial part of his book is dedicated to showing that this is not such an unlikely team of oxen. Douglas hofstadter on why ai is far from intelligent.
This is the riddle that drove hofstadter to write this extraordinary book. But in a deeper sense, the match between deep blue and kasparov proves that hofstadter. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. This playlist contains supplementary materials for the book godel, escher, bach geb by douglas hofstadter. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. The field of artificial intelligence may finally be coming back around to douglas hofstadter. Godel escher bach by hofstadter, first edition abebooks. Escher, in particular how their work in music, math and art manages to loop back on itself and express a kind of selfreferentiality. Douglas hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington. Dec 28, 2017 this is the wrapup video for the six month of the book club. Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. Godel, escher, back contains many ideas in different areas. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. Hofstadter, 9780465026562, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
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