Mar 12, 2020 godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. 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. 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. Godel, escher, bach is easily my favourite book, and has been for the thirtyodd years since i first read it. Douglas hofstadter combines and links the various themes associated with the characters in the title and some others in fascinating and imaginative ways. Hofstadters clean, lucid prose offers a deeper understanding of the topics covered in this book. Godel, escher, bach is a great examination of spellbinding contemplations at the center of mental science.
Godel, escher, bach ein endloses geflochtenes band. Hofstadters great achievement in godel, escher, bach was making abstruse mathematical topics like undecidability, recursion, and strange loops accessible and remarkably entertaining. 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 man who would teach machines to think the atlantic.
A beautifully written book on the subject is incompleteness by rebecca goldstein. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. Godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter alltime 100. A very good or better copy, with some dust spotting to boards. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system. 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. Casti, nature winner of the national book award in science winner of the pulitzer prize in general nonfiction. This website is available with pay and free online books. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. So, for my next visit to a desert island, give me sun, sand, water and geb, and ill live happily ever after. Jul 04, 2018 douglas hofstadters book godel, escher, bach. 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. 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.
Why i dont love godel, escher, bach infinite negative. 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. In 1980 a 34yearold professor of computer science at indiana university named douglas hofstadter won the pulitzer prize for godel escher bach, making it one of the greatest and most unlikely success stories in the history of the prize. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it.
At one level, the book is about a parallel between three 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 modern science. 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. Why i dont love godel, escher, bach infinite negative utility. Nov 22, 20 twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. Which books will give me an understanding of godels. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nat. Intelligence, art, music, and life are a strange loop. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. In some ways, godel, escher, bach is an entire humanistic education between the covers of a single book. 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.
Written by douglas r hofstadter, godel, escher, bach. Discover book depositorys huge selection of douglas hofstadter books online. Godel escher bach by hofstadter, first edition abebooks. 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. Synopsis this groundbreaking pulitzer prizewinning book sets the standard for interdisciplinary writing, exploring the patterns and symbols in the thinking of mathematician kurt godel, artist m. An eternal golden braid won both the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and a national book award at that time. Canon by intervallic augmentation in this dialogue, they discuss modifying a tune to get different tunes but with the same ratio of note changes, e.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. Aug 30, 2011 in 1980 a 34yearold professor of computer science at indiana university named douglas hofstadter won the pulitzer prize for godel escher bach, making it one of the greatest and most unlikely success stories in the history of the prize. Everybodys favorite is the concept of entropy, a measure of disorder in thermodynamics. The book explores the common topics that are encountered by exploring the lives of three famous personalities, namely kurt godel, johann sebastian bach. Jan, 2016 while penroses book is often vague and unfocused, hofstadters godel, escher, bach is a similar grand tour which remains largely coherent and focused. An eternal golden braid is an intellectual treatise on the ways by which thinking and cognitive abilities emerge from logical constructions. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter.
An eternal golden braid is a classic text thats had a strong influence on countless people. An eternal golden braid fifth printing by hofstadter, douglas r. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. Like penrose, hofstadter uses godels theorem to understand the nature of human consciousness and the limits of artificial intelligence. Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence.
Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research. Hofstadter, you can also download other attractive online book in this website. It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account hofstadter s law. This month we read godel, escher, bach by douglas hofstadter this is a fantastically weird and wonderful book. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. 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. Douglas hofstadter, the pulitzer prizewinning author of godel, escher.
Winner of the pulitzer prize and the national book award. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is a moving and profound inquiry into the nature of mind. 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 trans. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Hofstadter has 29 books on goodreads with 243069 ratings. Mar 17, 2015 a beautifully written book on the subject is incompleteness by rebecca goldstein. Douglas hofstadters classic nonfiction godel, escher, bach. It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account hofstadters law. Escher, in particular how their work in music, math and art manages to loop back on itself and express a kind of selfreferentiality. Every few decades an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary. 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 is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. Through illustration and analysis, the book discusses. Hofstadter douglas hofstadters 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.
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