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moormaan 's review for:
Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
by Douglas R. Hofstadter
A very interesting and unique book, playful, insightful, funny and sometimes a bit weird. The main thread revolves around a seeming paradox that resides at the bottom of the concept of the mind. Mr. Hofstadter treats this subject from many different angles: through visual art and music, through rigorous logic and the endeavour of building ever more powerful artificial intelligence systems. He sporadically makes very interesting references to Zen Buddhism - though he himself denies that he knows much about the topic, I found them very original and approachable (at least compared to some of the other recognized sources). The form of the text is an interplay of fictional dialogues and regular chapters, where each dialogue introduces a new topic in a playful manner and the following chapter treats it in more depth.
His later yet similar work, [b:I Am a Strange Loop|123471|I Am a Strange Loop|Douglas R. Hofstadter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442775722l/123471._SX50_.jpg|2691404] I found a bit easier to follow, somewhat more evocative and definitely more personal and emotional. Both left an impression on me, but the later one perhaps a bit deeper. Had I read them at a younger age, it might have been the opposite.
His later yet similar work, [b:I Am a Strange Loop|123471|I Am a Strange Loop|Douglas R. Hofstadter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442775722l/123471._SX50_.jpg|2691404] I found a bit easier to follow, somewhat more evocative and definitely more personal and emotional. Both left an impression on me, but the later one perhaps a bit deeper. Had I read them at a younger age, it might have been the opposite.