Hofstadter book about thoughts

In some ways, godel, escher, bach is an entire humanistic education between the covers of a single book. Erich hartmann magnum photos a ntiintellectualism in american life doesnt seem like a catchy title, but, more than 50 years on, it has demonstrated a peculiar staying power. So, for my next visit to a desert island, give me sun, sand, water and geb, and ill live happily ever after. The wooden switches and humans each have a value, from right to left 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned directly with the nature of maps or links. Hofstadter books list of books by author douglas r. Immensely enjoyable, with a plethora of fascinating examples and anecdotes, this book will make you understand your own thought processes in a wholly new way. This is a book that be can peruse commonly and still offer new thoughts with each perusing. Social darwinism in american thought ebook by richard. What do neuroscientists think about douglas hofstadters. Those are sensible choices for an intellectual biography, but beatrice represents a missed opportunity. The interview below was conducted in september 2007 and was originally published, in hebrew, in the online culture magazine haayal hakore. Hofstadter was the dewitt clinton professor of american history at columbia university. Hofstadters lost book is the american republic, a 1,396page history that he worked on for many years with two talented coauthors, william miller and daniel aaron.

Douglas hofstadter later wrote a full book on the subject entitled i am a strange loop. In the foreword, hofstadter explains that the book originally. His mocking, for instance, of janitors in that book is, well, unsavory at best and assholeish at worst. Richard hofstadter august 6, 1916 october 24, 1970 was an american historian and public intellectual of the mid20th century hofstadter was the dewitt clinton professor of american history at columbia university. Douglas hofstadter, justifiably famous for godel, escher, bach wrote about the much trickier subject of mind and personal identity in this 2004 book. The critical, conflicted, and elitist liberalism of. From 1942 to 1946 he taught at the university of maryland and. Richard hofstadter project gutenberg selfpublishing. Hofstadter has been influential in the field of ai, fractals, strange loops, and scaleable mathematicsnatures within various conditions ant colonies and human neurophysiology, for example.

Notwithstanding, as per hofstadter, the proper framework that underlies all psychological movement rises above. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The paranoid style in american politics, and other essays richard hofstadter acclaimed historian richard hofstadters classic work on the fringe groups that influence american electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs. Douglas hofstadters book is concerned legitimately with the idea of maps or connections between formal frameworks. Rejecting his earlier communist approach to history, in the 1950s he came closer to the concept of consensus history, and was epitomized by some of his admirers as the. Bach made an impromptu visit to king frederick the great of prussia, and was. Tim lacy, no, hofstadter was a marxist well after his brief stint in the cpagain, see the progressive historians 1968, then compare the age of reform to the contours of american. I was blown away by this book when i first read it, back in the 1970s. Weighty thoughts the brain requires an inordinate amount of energy to do its work, utilizing 20% of the bodys energy consumption at rest, despite accounting for only 2% of the bodys weight. As you might discern from the title, this essay which reaches 100 pages is a playful description of a translators quest to. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. What is the general feeling about douglas hofstadters. A new journey into hofstadters mind scientific american. It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account hofstadters law.

This book,not really a book,is a compilation of articles written by various authors who are on the leading edge of thought on a. Immensely enjoyable, with a plethora of fascinating. It wasnt the whole of the case for laissezfaire economics. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. I read godel escher bach as a teenager, i dont think this work is his best, because while it is fine as literature, the main theorem is mystified rather than explained, and the main thesis is murky and isnt so deep when unraveled. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Douglass hofstadters pi in the sky washington post. If you really want to know why and how some of the contradictions in american social thought came into being, social darwinism is as excellent a study as you can hope to find. Books by hofstadter center for research on concepts and.

There are dozens of thoughts, processes and emotions swirling about and competing for attention at any one time. Would be interested in your the sub member thoughts on the book and the author. From this singular premise, pulitzerprize winning author doug hofstadter and french psychologist emmanuel sander construct a broad argument that explains how analogies help us find. Here is the machine that these humans are simulating. Analogy as the fuel and fire of thinking apr 23, 20. Populism 1890s, progressivism 19001914, and the new deal 1930s. Hofstadter and the myth of the heroic lone scholar. Hofstadter already understood that the mind is not a centralized thing. This is the simple but unorthodox premise that pulitzer prizewinning author douglas hofstadter and french psychologist. Hofstadter exams the path of reform from the 1890s through the 1930s. In the end, we selfperceiving, selfinventing, lockedin mirages are little miracles of selfreference. When somebody mentions antiintellectualism, richard hofstadters book usually comes.

Additionally, there are some graphical elements and sounds i made to enhance the experience. I am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. New scientist i am a strange loop is thoughtful, amusing and infectiously enthusiastic. For the ages for hofstadter, pictured here in 1946, antiintellectualism was an unavoidable part of a democratic society. Hofstadters publishing company described geb as a metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of lewis carroll. Theorists such as herbert spencer and william graham sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils as well as the benefits. Casti, nature winner of the national book award in science winner of the pulitzer prize in general nonfiction. And i give it three stars because it did introduce me to many of the ideas and thinkers hofstadter highlights. Hofstadter has been grappling with the mysteries of human thought for over thirty years. There is plenty of variety, so i guarantee you will find some essays utterly delightful and entertaining wether or not you fancy yourself as one who would normally pursue philsophy of mind or epistemology. Richard hofstadter 6 august 1916 24 october 1970 was an american historian and public intellectual of the mid20th century. Also, discussion on the strange loops with this theorem.

The paranoid style in american politics, and other essays. It is one thing to analyze the relation between three applications their results in math, visual art, and music of selfreferencing thought, and quite another to analyze the entity doing. Instead of seeing a clear lineage connecting the three, he argues that while populism and progressivism were of the same cloth, the new deal was a sharp departure going against progressive historiography that tried to. Godel, escher, bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science. An eternal golden braid is still something of a marvel. This video explores his book and offers up a few thoughts i had while reading. Theorists such as herbert spencer and william graham sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils as well as. The reason the american republic is almost unknown today is that it was a college textbook. This book is a landmark in american political thought. Rejecting his earlier approach to history from the far left, in the 1950s he embraced consensus history, becoming the iconic historian of postwar liberal consensus, largely.

What do neuroscientists think about douglas hofstadters lecturetheory on analogy as the core of cognition. The book is an anthology of material excerpted from elsewhere each essay followed by reflections by dennet andor hofstadter. An essay on the pleasantly pervasive paradoxes of translation by douglas hofstadter and am still trying to digest the big translation questions that the author raises in it. It examines the passion for progress and reform that colored the entire period from 1890 to 1940 with. Buy a cheap copy of the age of reform book by richard hofstadter. In his latest book, i am a strange loop, he visits once again many of the themes originally presented in that book. Douglas richard hofstadter born february 15, 1945 is an american scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, analogymaking, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. In this dialogue, they discuss modifying a tune to get different tunes but with the same ratio of note changes, e. Analogy as the fuel and fire of thinking 0465018475 book cover. 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. Hofstadters new book on consciousness, i plugged a webcam into my desktop computer and pointed it at the screen. Hofstadter overstates the significance of social darwinism. Bloomberg news i am a strange loop is vintage hofstadter.

Social darwinism in american thought portrays the overall influence of darwin on american social theory and the notable battle waged among thinkers over the implications of evolutionary theory for social thought and political action. Intelligence, art, music, and life are a strange loop. I dont think most neuroscientists think about it at all. And indeed, it is impossible to come away from this. Brown chose to spend the chapter, and the one before it, on hofstadters family, first wife felice hoftstadter nee swados, his first book social darwinism in american thought, 18601915, and his first job at the university of maryland. The book opens with the story of bachs musical offering. Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, douglas r. Surfaces and essences by douglas hofstadter basic books. Hofstadter and sanders book is a wonderful and insightful account of the role of analogy in cognition. Most current neuroscience seems focused on understanding what the primary b. Social darwinism in american thought richard hofstadter.