I am a strange l oop attempts to correct this problem by better illustrating how inanimate matter can lead to animate beings with awareness and consciousness. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loop among. As in his other books, hofstadter has written a deeply personal work, even though he is taking on the eternal philosophical bogey of consciousness, and has written once again with a smoothness and a sense of fun that will entrance even casual readers. A tangled hierarchy is a hierarchical consciousness system in which a strange loop appears. Playlists containing i am a strange loop by douglas r. I tried to spell this vision out in my 1979 book godel, escher, bach, with mixed success. Listen to i am a strange loop douglas hofstadter and thirtyseven more episodes by books like us, free. Physics today i am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter. Bloomberg newsi am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter. Books i am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter scott oreilly loops the loop with douglas hofstadter.
I am a strange loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the strange loopa special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our. Apr 08, 2018 huge credit to david szakaly for his visual representation of a strange loop. What is the central thesis of douglas hofstadters book i. I am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter abebooks. The concept of a strange loop was proposed and extensively discussed by douglas hofstadter in godel, escher, bach, and is further elaborated in hofstadters book i am a strange loop, published in 2007. Besides godel, the authors other insight comes from the loopylike nature of.
But please do, you are a genius, and it is a waste to fritter away your talent writing books like this. The i in the title refers to the concept of the i in all of us. Dec 02, 2017 strange loops a guided tour through douglas hofstadters paradoxical concept of strange loops, and what they reveal about the ultimate nature of existence and consciousness. The concept of a strange loop was originally developed in his 1979 book godel, escher, bach. Strange loops a guided tour through douglas hofstadters paradoxical concept of strange loops, and what they reveal about the ultimate nature of. We can easily make robots aware of themselves without having an inkling of consciousness. 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. I love strange and weird books, mostly because i, myself, am strange and unusual. I am a strange loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the strange loop a special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. Besides godel, the authors other insight comes from the loopylike nature of recursive entities. In 1993 hofstadters wife carol died suddenly of a brain tumor at only 42, leaving him with two young children to care for. Hofstadter felt a need to write a new book because so many people misperceived geb as a hodgepodge of neat things with no central theme.
You would not find the boundaries of the soul no matter how many paths you traveled, so deep is its measure. It is a myth, a mirage, like a satellite to your brain whose resident strange loop decides that here is wherever that brain happens to be. It is a strange loop generated by a myriad of lesser loops. These are very different books, despite i am a strange loop being a retelling of geb. I am a strange l oop, too, and douglas hofstadter has written my book.
The catch is its naruto fanfiction, but i ve never. I am a strange loop douglas hofstadter books like us podcast. The idea of i am a strange loop is that we develop a sense of self from self reference. Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In a similar way, he believes, we imagine a self wedged somewhere between the neurons of our brain. Gerdle why does he pronounce it like that 20191104t10. The most central and complex symbol in your brain is the one called i.
In the end, we are selfperceiving, selfinventing, lockedin mirages that are little miracles of selfreference. Fantasies and reflections on self and soul, consciousness. One of our greatest philosophers and scientists of the mind asks, where does the self come fromand how our selves can exist in the minds of others. Apr 23, 20 the idea of i am a strange loop is that we develop a sense of self from self reference. In almost like a whale, geneticist steve jones updated darwins origin of species. Douglas r hofstadter argues that the key to understanding ourselves and consciousness is the strange loop, a special kind of abstract feedback loop that inhabits the brain. Huge credit to david szakaly for his visual representation of a strange loop. Can self, soul, consciousness, i arise out of mere matter. Users who reposted i am a strange loop by douglas r.
I am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. I am a strange loop should not be taken to mean douglas hofstadter is a strange loop. Something to satisfy this appetite while im in bed at night. Mar 27, 2007 i am a strange loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the strange loop a special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. If you like i am a strange loop you might like similar books the origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind, consciousness explained, the minds i. Scott oreilly loops the loop with douglas hofstadter.
Which should i read, i am a strange loop or godel escher bach. If you like i am a strange l oop you might like similar books the origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind, consciousness explained, the minds i. Jul 08, 2008 i am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. And then, as if by some mysterious emergent phenomenon, by its end you discover that a complex working model of consciousness has arisen. And, he claims, once you have explained the self, you. His other books include the pulitzer prizewinning godel, escher, bach.
I am a strange loop is overlywordy and jammed with a few too many analogies and painful puns, but i enjoyed the intellectual challenge. If you like books and love to build cool products, we may be looking for you. Review i am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. Pulitzerprize winner douglas hofstadter takes on some weighty and wonderful questions in i am a strange loopamong. And indeed, it is impossible to come away from this book without having introduced elements of. I am a strange loop by douglas hofstadter issue 78. And dont make the mistake of thinking that selfawareness equals consciousness. He truly provides no concrete reasons to believe only assertions, which are worth pondering if not agreeing with. Douglas r hofstadter hofstadters longawaited return to the themes of godel, escher, bachan original and controversial view of the nature of consciousness and identity. These are the mysteries tackled in i am a strange loop, douglas hofstadters first booklength journey into philosophy since godel, escher, bach. If you like i am a strange loop you might like similar books the origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind, consciousness explained. Douglas r hofstadter argues that the key to understanding ourselves and consciousness is the strange loop, a special kind. The book itself did very well, but the ideas that drove it were not so well. A very personal book that held my attention but it did not seem like the update.
Jul 08, 2008 i am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter. In i am a strange loop, hofstadter, a cognitive and computer. Confessions of a romantic reductionist, intuition pumps and. The ecstatic doubling of a strange loop the new yorker. 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. Buy a cheap copy of i am a strange loop book by douglas r. And indeed, it is impossible to come away from this. The marble provides the central theme of i am a strange loop. Listen to i am a strange loop audiobook by douglas r.
What is the central thesis of douglas hofstadters book i am. I am a strange loop is a 2007 book by douglas hofstadter, examining in depth the concept of. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. Does an i exert genuine power over the particles in our brain, or is it helplessly pushed around by the laws of physics.
I am a strange loop free pdf, chm, doc, fb3 books library. Our idea of consciousness is somewhat taken for granted as we know others are conscious and babies born will become conscious somewhere in their developme. Eternal golden braid, one of the most captivating books i have ever read. Bloomberg news i am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter. I am a strange loop, by douglas hofstadter the independent. Jul 10, 2018 listen to i am a strange loop audiobook by douglas r. I am a strange loop 9780465030781, 9780465008377 vitalsource. I consider both among my absolute favourite books, but for very different reasons.
Like homer simpson putting a fork inside the microwave, i feared for a moment that i. The catch is its naruto fanfiction, but ive never even read the mangawatched more than an episode of the show and i still love the fic. I am a strange loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the strange loopa special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. A new journey into hofstadters mind scientific american. Deep down, a human brain is a chaotic seething soup of particles, on a higher level it is a jungle of neurons, and on a yet higher level it is a network of abstractions that we. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Strange loops may involve selfreference and paradox. In any case, i am a strange loop provides provocative insights into how humans use selfreference to achieve selfawareness, but not necessarily consciousness. 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. Aug 01, 2007 i am a strange loop ebook written by douglas r. There is much here and i do not doubt that writing i am a strange l oop was a labor of love in more ways than one. Like a mind at its worst, a strange loop is repetitive and obsessive, and lands the audience back where it started many more times than its possible to count. Find books like i am a strange loop from the worlds largest community of readers. His previous books are the pulitzer prizewinning goedel, escher, bach.
I am a strange loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the strange loopa. What is a strange loop and what is it like to be one. One of our greatest philosophers and scientists of the mind. The i is the nexus in our brain, one of many symbols seeming to have free will and to have gained the. And the book does an excellent job of presenting his views on just how the i forms in a brain, what kind of hardware may be necessary for an i, what kinds of i am out there, and on. Many years ago, reading about godels incompleteness theorem gave me an image of the nature of a human self or i. Mar 26, 2007 i am a strange loop should not be taken to mean douglas hofstadter is a strange loop. There isnt any loop in my brain that is a copy however imperfect of my wife or childrens identity, only modifications of my own that represent them. Which should i read, i am a strange loop or godel escher. I am a strange loop livros na amazon brasil 8601419969142. Today, more than two thousand years after heraclitus wrote those words, science has shrunk the boundaries of the soul. I am a strange loopcontains many profound and unique insights on the question of who we are. Confessions of a romantic reductionist, intuition pumps and other tools for thinking.
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