Existentialism, Cybernetics, and the Metaphysical

>>9499997
Didn't read the whole thing, thought it was ok.

>>9499997
I loved what I read but around chapter V, or whenever he begins discussing the record players, the mathematics started getting too heady for me. I want to try again in a while but I feel like I need a bit of a guide to help me understand, even though the book seems to have been written with the layman in mind. What are your thoughts OP? Any bits of info or insight you can channel towards me to help me out?

>>9499997
OP here. Honestly, the book really put a ton of my scientific studies into a global perspective especially when making the analogy between Godel's Incompleteness Theorem (basically an infinite series can contain a series of itself) and Escher's works, and Bach's musical offering. Much of our very existence lives in recursive processes and relies on an almost infinite closed loop system. It's difficult to explain it as well as the Hofstadter, but it makes sense when you start analyzing the very thoughts we have on a daily basis. Most of our thoughts seem linear. But once we realize our thoughts are internally linear, rather than straight-line linear, we can begin to understand how complex AI could be developed, which is fascinating beyond our imagination. These topics make me believe we actually live in an infinitely expanding universe within a finite frame. Almost like a torus folding in on itself.
P.S. I've only read into Chapter V.

>>9500046
I'd suggest learning basic mathematical symbols related to vector calculus and go from there. Most of the symbol you can rationalize without knowing any calculus, although, a basic pre-cal understanding would be helpful.

>>9499997
boring, repetitive, somehow reminded me of hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

File: No, this is Plato.jpg (79KB, 1333x750px) Image search: [Google]

79KB, 1333x750px

We're all play-doh, anon. We're all playing with play-doh.

>>9499997
New age bullshit for those that don't believe in new age bullshit.

>>9499997
a pretty fun pop-sci book but not the metaphysical revelation that many profess it to be

for a shorter distillation of godel check out the book Godel's Proof

>>9499997
I still have yet to read any adequate explanation or description of what this book is, everyone talks about it in such vague terms. What's the thesis?

>>9500136
It's more of an exploration than an argument

>>9499997

Metamagical Themas is the superior Hofstadter

>>9500145
Fine, but what is it?

>>9500149
Read it and tell us anon
I'd say:
>>9500076
states it quite eloquently

>>9500115
Agreed. Maybe it was because I studied mathematics, but I thought it was a fairly straightforward explication of the Incompleteness Theorem and not much else. I also feel like he over-explains quite a bit.

>>9500152
>comparing the three people in the title
>thoughts are a loop?
>there's some math involved
Standing by my original statement that anything I've ever read about this book has been scattered and vague as to its contents.

>>9499997
bump

It's an obfuscation of undergraduate automata theory with some cool references posing as a theory of consciousness

I'm reading I am a strange loop before I get started with GEB again and it seems like GEB is going to be easier to understand this time around

>>9500115
This is such a terrible usage of profess. I feel sick

>>9499997
i feel like this book is like the movie black swan where if you've never seen a movie like black swan i can 100% see why it would really give you this huge wow moment but if you have it's kinda just fun and bland