Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
by Douglas Hofstadter
Finished a LONG 777-page RA Favorite book. This one was called Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal
Golden Braid, a Pulitzer Prize winning
book by Douglas Hofstadter. It discusses philosophy, math, music, art, and all
of the connections among them. The
iconic illustrations of Escher, with their symmetry of lines and thinking, strongly
connects to Bach’s music and Godel’s mathematical formulas and theorems. Hofstadler further punctuates the connections
with end-of-chapter stories modeled on Lewis Carroll’s messages as told by the
Tortoise and Achilles, who spar throughout, trying to simplify things for the
“not so heady reader” (like myself). The
three themes explored include: mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence (with a
significant discussion of Artificial Intelligence and what computers will and
won’t be able to do). This section
probably needs some updating as it was written in 1979. Through reflection and the rules of math, we
have a new ‘meaning’ (which is still being created) from things that had no
meaning initially. And, of course, one needs to
learn that it isn’t just about the symmetry of the three (math, art and music) –
it’s also about how understanding emerges from what we know of the three. There is also a portion focused on neurons (a
pre-cursor to today’s focus on neuroscience). It always surprises me when a
student LOVES a book like this so much that they would read it again and again,
especially since the areas of science discussed have evolved so dramatically. Can’t say I understood it all, can’t say I
loved it, but yes, I can say I appreciated it, especially
Escher’s work and the stories of Achilles and the tortoise.
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