I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War...
Continue »
The nature of consciousness has been mulled over by a multitude of philosophers over the centuries, and Hofstadter's "I am a Strange Loop" is a well written, fun
to read synthesis of these mullings. Hofstadter makes a strong argument that consciousness emerges from sensory feedback loops between our personal symbolic computer - the brain - and our environment. While the basic ideas in the book build upon both his own previous ideas (Godel, Escher, Bach), Hofstadter integrates a wide variety of supporting and dissenting views into his argument while showing the consequences of his hypothesis on science, religion, sex, drugs, and rock & roll (OK, mostly classical music, but anyway). His characteristically engaging style of whimsical metaphor is a pleasure to read, and though the subject
matter of the book - consciousness itself - is relatively complex, it could not be presented in a more accessible, easy to understand way. As a scientist, the book was a reminder to me about the usefulness of analogies and metaphors in making a good story, even a non-fiction story, and Hofstadter once again gives us a great model for clear, non-pedantic, effective scientific story telling.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(46 of 75 readers found this comment helpful)
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Customer Comments
Benjamin Dubin-Thaler has commented on (1) product.
I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Benjamin Dubin-Thaler, April 11, 2007
The nature of consciousness has been mulled over by a multitude of philosophers over the centuries, and Hofstadter's "I am a Strange Loop" is a well written, funto read synthesis of these mullings. Hofstadter makes a strong argument that consciousness emerges from sensory feedback loops between our personal symbolic computer - the brain - and our environment. While the basic ideas in the book build upon both his own previous ideas (Godel, Escher, Bach), Hofstadter integrates a wide variety of supporting and dissenting views into his argument while showing the consequences of his hypothesis on science, religion, sex, drugs, and rock & roll (OK, mostly classical music, but anyway). His characteristically engaging style of whimsical metaphor is a pleasure to read, and though the subject
matter of the book - consciousness itself - is relatively complex, it could not be presented in a more accessible, easy to understand way. As a scientist, the book was a reminder to me about the usefulness of analogies and metaphors in making a good story, even a non-fiction story, and Hofstadter once again gives us a great model for clear, non-pedantic, effective scientific story telling.
(46 of 75 readers found this comment helpful)