And this is the theme that hofstadter explores in chapter 4 loops, goals and. Review of i am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter part 2. Oct 26, 2009 strange horizons is a weekly magazine of and about speculative fiction. Hofstadter has 29 books on goodreads with 243069 ratings. Actually, he has written a much more thorough and comprehensible book than i could, and in such a friendly and personal way that i feel i could call him doug.
Douglas attended the international school of geneva for a year. Mar 16, 20 victim of the brain is a 1988 dutch docudrama about the ideas of douglas hofstadter. 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. They believe that perception is a key part of cognition, that analogy is a key component of perception, and that ai cognition research programmes that start from preperceived data input are missing the. Hofstadter said something that meant, i did not fix it become someone will fix it back the next day they will put the errors back in. You would not find the boundaries of the soul no matter how many paths you traveled, so deep is its measure. Read this book only if you like mathematics dec, 2007 by eclecticreader2 this book outlines hofstadters theory of consciousness. I am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter abebooks.
Metamagical themas douglas hofstadter short contents. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning physicist robert hofstadter. Most of i am a strange loop is recycled from douglas hofstadters previous books, especially goedel escher bach or geb, to its friends. A selfmodifying game based on reflexivity in law section ii. Today, more than two thousand years after heraclitus wrote those words, science has shrunk the boundaries of the soul. The book is an introduction to the core ideas about self, selfreference, feedback loops and consciousness as an emergent phenomena. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since goedel, escher, bach. Jul 16, 2008 does an i exert genuine power over the particles in our brain, or is it helplessly pushed around by the laws of physics.
Affable locking of horns on souls and their sizes this teetering bulb of dread and dream causal potency of patterns loops, goals, and loopholes on video feedback of selves and symbols epi phenomenon embarking on a strange. Douglas hofstadter wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. Bloomberg news i am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter. Hofstadter is bestknown for his book godel, escher, bach geb for short. His previous books are the pulitzer prizewinning godel, escher, bach. As in his other books, hofstadter has written a deeply. New scientist i am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. What is a strange loop and what is it like to be one. Landscape architect douglas hoerr on designing environments.
I am a strange loop, by douglas hofstadter the independent. Buy a cheap copy of i am a strange loop book by douglas r. Many writers are making money from the socalled consciousness market. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. Douglas hofstadter project gutenberg selfpublishing.
Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Aug 01, 2007 does an i exert genuine power over the particles in our brain, or is it helplessly pushed around by the laws of physics. An eternal golden braid, and i am a strange loop, and more on. Dec 17, 20 douglas hofstadter attempts to get across the crux of these intuitions about the mysterious concept of i. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loopamong. Hofstadter is college professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington, indiana. Infoq homepage presentations what is a strange loop and what is it like to be.
The book is well written, but i found it difficult to read the first part, even though i have an affinity with math, due to the amount of mathematical theory used as a metaphor to illustrate hofstadters concepts. Douglas grew up on the campus of stanford university, where his father was a professor. Patterns, by paul simon and douglas hofstadter in their 1966 album, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, simon and garfunkel expressed their youthful feelings about where our country was headed at the time, in songs such as the dangling conversation and 7 oclock newssilent night, but they also sang the perennial plaints of youth. 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. I am a strange loop, too, and douglas hofstadter has written my book. I am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter 9780465030798. Hofstadterwho won a pulitzer for his 1979 book, godel, escher.
Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. Hes been something of an oddball maverick in the aicognitive science world, doing his own leftfield research at indiana university for about thirty years. And there is some new material, prompted by the untimely death of hofstadters beloved wife in 1993. Scott oreilly loops the loop with douglas hofstadter. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadter s first book length journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. 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. Douglas hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science and computer science at indiana university, bloomington. Click to read more about i am a strange loop by douglas r. All material in strange horizons is ed to the original authors and may not be reproduced without permission.
Douglas hofstadter said something that meant, i do not like doing things with computers. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loop among 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. Listen to thousands of best sellers and new releases on your iphone, ipad, or android. Review i am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. Douglas hofstadter and his research group, farg, have a particular approach to modelling human thought processes, and this book collects together some of their work over the last two decades. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is the book hofstadters many readers have long been waiting for. Review of i am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter part. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange. A more accurate, if admittedly less wieldy title for douglas hofstadter s book about the phenomenon of consciousness would be ones i is a strange loop. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Hofstadter 29 want to read published 2007 by basic books in new york.
Fantasies and reflections on self and soul by douglas r. This sentence contradicts itself no actually it doesnt. I am a strange loop is a clearer, more explicit and equally touching if slightly less exhilarating restatement of the concepts and basic philosophy first expressed in geb. On selfreferential sentences selfreferential sentences. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read i am a strange loop. Growing up on a farm in milford, indiana, gave douglas hoerr the best education in the natural world.
A followup on viral sentences and selfreplicating structures nomic. Discover book depositorys huge selection of douglas r hofstadter books online. Hofstadter is currently considered a single author. Hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of computer science and cognitive science at indiana university and author of the pulitzerprize winning g. Features interviews with douglas hofstadter and dan dennett. Beekeeping also earned him points for bravery if not patience. Some of them are sincere but muddled, others are out for the quick buck.
The interview was conducted by tal cohen and yarden. 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. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is a moving and profound inquiry into the nature of mind. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas r. His column, that occupied the same place as mathemetical games, was called metamagical themas looking closely at those two names will tell you a lot about douglas hofstadter and lasted for issues.
A more accurate, if admittedly less wieldy title for douglas hofstadters book about the phenomenon of consciousness would be ones i is a strange loop. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. Reading douglas hofstadter will usually bend your mind. Hofstadter is college of arts and sciences professor of cognitive science, and director of the center for research on concepts and cognition, at indiana university. This true story is a rare, firsthand account of one soldiers experiences during the third reich and offers an uncommon insight into what most germans really thought about hitler and his regime not quite what the wartime newsreels portrayed. Douglas hofstadter is a professor of cognitive science and comparative literature at indiana university at bloomington.
Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation. Solomon then asked hofstadter why he did not fix it. Nancy frey frey also teaches classes at health sciences high and middle college in san diego. I am a strange loop book by douglas r hofstadter 2. She is a recipient of the christa mcauliffe award for excellence in teacher education from the american association of state colleges and universities and the early career award from the literacy research association. Most people, it should be clear, do not want hard answers to deep questionsthey want. Id suggest approaching it first, and using it as a map if youll dec. I am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter issue 78.
Following a decadelong immersion in the professional side of landscape design, hoerr left for england, where he deepened his craft and learned from revered gardeners like john. But this is not necessarily a bad thing this actually makes it a good first book for the uninitiated. After dinner parties, his wife carol and he would wash the dishes together and relive the highlights of the conversation theyd just enjoyed. Discount prices on books by douglas r hofstadter, including titles like that mad ache. This is a time of many facile answers and pseudo answers to the question of consciousness. What is the best douglas hofstadter book to start out with.
Hofstadter, a noted author, cognitive scientist and proud stanford son, returns to stanford in february, 2006, with a lecture called analogy as the core of cognition. I am a strange loop hofstadter, douglas richard on. The concept of a strange loop was originally developed in his 1979 book godel, escher, bach in the end, we are selfperceiving, selfinventing, lockedin mirages that are little miracles of selfreference. One of our greatest philosophers and scientists of the mind. A new journey into hofstadters mind scientific american. I am a strange loop is a 2007 book by douglas hofstadter, examining in depth the concept of a strange loop to explain the sense of i. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is a moving and. Hofstadter s first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. Smashwords about douglas gagel, author of fuhrer, folk and. 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.
Does an i exert genuine power over the particles in our brain, or is it helplessly pushed around by the laws of physics. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 in new york, new york is an american academic whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. The most recent, published this year by basic, is douglas. Hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. This book is a compilation of those columns, each with a new endnote by hofstadter and some letters received by the magazine and his reply. The colonys teams, its signals, are lowlevel active subsystems of. Ultimately, the fully evolved ant colony takes on a holistic aspect, and emerging molecular mechanisms take form. I recently finished i am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadter s first booklength journey into philosophy since goedel, escher, bach. In his latest book, i am a strange loop, he visits once again many of the themes originally presented in that book. Books i am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter scott oreilly loops the loop with douglas hofstadter. The interview below was conducted in september 2007 and was originally published, in hebrew, in the online culture magazine haayal hakore. Douglas hofstadter wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The most recent, published this year by basic, is douglas hofstadters i am a strange loop.
To get into a properly loopy mindset for douglas r. Compulsively readable and endlessly thoughtprovoking, this is the book hofstadter s many readers have long been waiting for. I am a strange loop quotes showing 125 of 25 in the end, we selfperceiving, selfinventing, lockedin mirages are little miracles of selfreference. Long contents list of illustrations notes on the cover introduction. He graduated with distinction in mathematics from stanford in 1965.
113 473 504 1284 28 1587 667 553 1523 986 1542 1457 53 383 1377 1408 1003 336 1013 844 1212 164 225 879 1189 1358 531 849 86