Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden BraidDouglas Hofstadter's book is concerned directly with the nature of "maps' or links between formal systems. However, according to Hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. 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 attain human intelligence. Gödel, Escher, Bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science: meaning, reduction, recursion, and much more. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - LesKoller - LibraryThingI bought this book in 1981, shortly after it came out. It blew me away! According to the subtitle, it is "A Metaphorical Fugue on Minds and Machines in the Spirit of Lewis Carrol". Each chapter begins ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - mitchanderson - LibraryThingA lot of content to sift through, but plenty of gems to be found. Much of the content, with the exception of a handful of technical terms, is still entirely relevant today, though, that may speak to ... Read full review
Contents
Cretan Labyrinth | 119 |
The structure of the Dialogue Little Harmonic Labyrinth | 129 |
Recursive Transition Networks for ORNATE NOUN and FANCY NOUN | 132 |
Copyright | |
139 other sections not shown
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Common terms and phrases
Achilles active answer Anteater axiom Bach begin brain called carry cell Chapter comes complex contain copy course Crab derivation described Dialogue Escher example exist express fact feel FIGURE formal system fugue geometry give given Gödel happens human idea inside instance intelligence interesting interpretation involves isomorphism kind language look loop machine mathematics matter meaning mind move natural never notion number theory object once operations perhaps picture piece play possible problem procedure produce proof question reason record recursive represented rules seems sense sentence SHRDLU simple single sounds specification statement step string structure suppose symbols tell theorem things thought tion Tortoise translation true turn understand
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid Pulitzer Prize in letters: General non-fiction Winner of the Pulitzer prize |
| Author | Douglas R. Hofstadter |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Vintage Books, 1999 |
| Original from | the University of Virginia |
| Digitized | Oct 1, 2008 |
| ISBN | 0394756827, 9780394756820 |
| Length | 800 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |