I hated it. I felt like the author was just trying too hard. There's just not enough actual content in a book of 800 pages.
Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
11–20 of 39 posts
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#12As someone who does the majority of their reading in bed, GEB took a long time to get through, and I definitely didn't pick up nearly as much of it as I should have.
That's not to say it's necessarily dry or boring, it's just, I imagine your brain has to be on to really appreciate it.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#13 I finished it, but found it pretentious, boring as hell and thin on content. In my opinion (which is not shared widely ;-)) it would have made a good 15 page pamphlet. The rest is turgid verbiage(imo). I can understand someone for whom recursion(say) is some kind of mind blowing concept getting some value out of the book, but I've never understood why programmers find it fascinating. It has a few ultra basic concepts, stretched across multiple pages with lots of padding, then endlessly repeated in minor variations with lots of faux insight.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#14I've read it twice. That says it all, I guess.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#15I thought it was awesome when I first read it in high school; the second time, after graduating university, I skipped all of the Achilles & the Tortoise sections and became quite frustrated at how many page turns it took to contain any given idea. Like Devilboy said, there's not reason it should have been 800pp.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#16One of the few books I've put down after less than 1/3rd. Really bad and over-hyped, IMHO.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#17One of the few books I've put down after less than 1/3rd. Really bad and over-hyped, IMHO.
i hate to be 'that guy' who says "me too", but i felt the same way when reading it 5 years ago. i had far higher expectations of a pulitzer prize winning book in non-fiction. another pulitzer prize winner that's almost as long but far more engaging is Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel"
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#18I finished it, but found it pretentious, boring as hell and thin on content. In my opinion (which is not shared widely ;-)) it would have made a good 15 page pamphlet. The rest is turgid verbiage(imo). I can understand someone for whom recursion(say) is some kind of mind blowing concept getting some value out of the book, but I've never understood why programmers find it fascinating. It has a few ultra basic concepts…
In my opinion (which is not shared widely ;-))
Share. Hofstadter always struck me as the ultimate dilettante.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#19I first read GEB 2 years ago and was similarly mind-blown. I found that it didn't answer any questions, but it did ask a lot. I would consider essential reading for anyone studying AI, and indeed for anyone with a curious mind.
I'm also in the middle of I Am a Strange Loop, and it feels very familiar. Hofstadter's wit and skill with words comes through strongly, and the technical depth of thought is equally as compelling.
With regards to approaching the book, I found it enjoyable and helpful to stop every few pages and think about some of the concepts that are posed. Don't consider it a book on AI, or computing, or Bach, or Escher, or Godel, or quirky narratives. Instead, just go with it and follow along with the story. It takes a while, but once you've finished, you'll want to read it again.
Re: Ask HN: Experiences with 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' (GEB)?
#20I love it. But:
The book is NOT a good introduction to the incompleteness theorem. It is not a book about M.C. Escher. It could, barely, be said to be about papa Bach.
If you read it for math or science, you will be disappointed. It's a horrendous textbook.
Read it paying attention to his words, how and why he choses them, and GEB is a pretty marvelous thing. If the English language excites you, then read it, and read Le Ton Beau de Marot. GEB is a demonstration of ideas, not a discussion of them.
Hofstadter is not a computer scientist. He's a philosopher, a linguist, and a gedankenspiel-smith. Read him to laugh and play. Expect pretension because big words are fun.
Or skip it. I don't think it will change your life.