Hofstadter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Winner of the pulitzer prizea metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carrolldouglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Winner of the pulitzer prizea metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carrolldouglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the. A wondrous book that unites and explains, in a very entertaining way, many of the important ideas of recent intellectual history. Mcdonough, disparaging it as being no longer useful to todays army. The emperors new mind by roger penrose and godel, escher, bach. Douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research focuses on consciousness, thinking and creativity. Why i dont love godel, escher, bach infinite negative utility.
The man who would teach machines to think the atlantic. This is the riddle that drove hofstadter to write this extraordinary book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher, and the. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher. An eternal golden braid is the subtitle for hofstadters book and became the name for the concert we staged at the barbican exploring musical strange loops from bachs musical offering to robert thomass exciting new composition. Marcus du sautoy, professor of mathematics at the university of oxford. The book also mentions the second story again, that im aware of inspired by the original, the defense of hill 781 by james r. Bach, the graphic art of escher and the mathematical theorems of godel, as well as ideas drawn from logic, biology, psychology, physics and linguistics, douglas hofstadter illuminates one of the greatest mysteries of. An eternal golden braid it is an inherent property of intelligence that it can jump out of the task which it is performing, and survey what it has done.
It is also central to two classics of cognitive science. An eternal golden braid isbn 9780465026562 isbn 0465026567 including delivery cost and availability. This is the biggest one ive read and i think it will. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. Godel escher bach at the barbican in london marcus du sautoy performed just such a test, using the audience as judges. Douglas r hofstadter winner of the pulitzer prize, this book applies godels seminal contribution to modern mathematics to the study of the human mind and the development of artificial intelligence. S ince 1979, golden braid bookstore has been widely known as a resource for personal journey and selfdiscovery. Hofstadter is the son of nobel prizewinning douglas richard hofstadter is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research. Its a venerated book among a certain stripe of computer scientist and mathematician, and its reputed to have inspired generations of people to pursue the study of logic and artificial intelligence. Introduction to godel, escher, bach lecture youtube. Jul 29, 2010 this is a 4 minute clip from an mit lecture introducing the central theme of douglas r. However, according to hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. Escher, and composer johann sebastian bach, the book expounds concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence. His works are then fed through a machine learning process created by computational artist parag k mital, which uses the data in bachs writing to compose a piece of.
For the general reader and the computer techie alike, this book still sets a standard. An eternal golden braid 20th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author 20anniversary ed by hofstadter, douglas r isbn. An eternal golden braid pdf is still a miracle today, although it has been on the bestseller list for more than 20 years. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of bach, the artwork of escher, and the mathematics of godel. An eternal golden braid winner, national book awards 1980 for science hardcover. Douglas hofstadter s book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links between formal systems. Since 1979, golden braid bookstore has been widely known as a resource for personal journey and selfdiscovery. An eternal golden braid, also known as geb, is a 1979 book by douglas hofstadter.
Mar 12, 2020 godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. Jul 04, 2018 douglas hofstadters book godel, escher, bach. An eternal golden braid 1979 history edit pdf epub bib created. Hofstadter, 9780465026562, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. This book is pure genius, it was like watching one of those christopher nolans movie. An eternal golden braid, which would earn for hofstadteronly 35 years old, and a. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside.
Godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. Winner of the pulitzer prize in general nonfiction winner of the national book award in science every few decades an unknown author brings. Commonweal godel, escher, bach was a triumphantly successful presentation of quite difficult concepts for a popular audience. A true sanctuary for conscious living in the city, golden braid books offers a wide assortment of products. Godel, escher, bach paperback an eternal golden braid. Nov 22, 20 twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. No wonder nolan himself was inspired from some of the.
An eternal golden braid is a classic text thats had a strong influence on countless people. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 822 pages and is available in paperback format. Offerings include gifts and books for feeding the mind, body, spirit, soul, and heart. Plan your journey and find more route information in your visit or book your car parking space in advance. Jan, 2016 it is also central to two classics of cognitive science.
An eternal golden braid from the worlds largest community of readers. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the. By exploring common themes in the lives and works of logician kurt godel, artist m. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate. What is a self, and how can a self come out of inaminate matter.
Each chapter starts out with dialog between the tortoise and achilles, getting harder and harder till it ends with mathematics that most readers will not. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The book describes and defines the concept of recursion, and discusses its applications in computer science, consciousness, art, music, biology and various other. Synopsis this groundbreaking pulitzer prizewinning book sets the standard for interdisciplinary writing, exploring the patterns and symbols in the thinking of mathematician kurt godel, artist m. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. The show is part of an ongoing project called strange loops which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the intellectual cult classic godel, escher, bach. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. Best books on the encounter of spirituality and science. Jan 12, 20 the book also mentions the second story again, that im aware of inspired by the original, the defense of hill 781 by james r. Hofstadter 1980 a fascinating book that explains the fundamental problems in the research of consciousness and artificial intelligence. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by douglas r. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nat. Godel, escher, bach is a great examination of spellbinding contemplations at the center of mental science.