Popular Science Review - Godel, Escher, Bach

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Review - Gödel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter

Linking together the music of Bach, the graphic art of Escher and the mathematical theorems of Gödel, as well as ideas drawn from logic, biology, psychology, physics and linguistics, Hofstadter illuminates one of the greatest mysteries of modern science: the nature of the human thought process.

A book that needs re-reading several times to get into it - but a remarkable exercise nonetheless.

Also in hardback:

Reviewed by Peter Spitz

Community review - Berry den Hartog

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is still a great book. It doesn’t just expand human understanding but it also expands human thought. Gödel, Escher, Bach remains an astonishing accomplishment. Its ability to let us imagine difficult mathematical ideas make it one of the best books for anyone who is interested in computers and their potential for artificial intelligence.

Hofstadter gives a brilliant and original interpretation of three geniuses, the mathematician Gödel, graphic artist Escher and the music composer Bach. Each chapter starts with a conversation between characters that playfully show fundamental problems of logic. Hofstadter ties together the gift of pattern recognition and manipulation with theories on artificial intelligence and the fundamental nature of self-awareness. He also tries to explain how a lifeless, algorithmic process can produce something like life and mind.

Gödel, Escher, Bach is not a simple read (I had to read it 3 times). In particular the mathematical incompleteness theorem of Kurt Gödel is difficult. But it is a completely satisfying book, and when you finished the book it will give you the rare experiences of feeling smarter then you did before reading it. *****

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