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6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

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Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#41
This seems like one of the first great "Social" ideas I've ever heard. For me, personally of course, facebook, foursquare, social shopping, etc all solve problems I don't have.

However a sort of online book group is something that I might like and would solve a real problem I do have. It may be to niche to make a company out of. That said, what sorts of things would a site (platform?) need in order to be successful at creating guided, curated, experiences such as a book group.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a joke? I can only guess that you tried to read it, and didn't understand it.

I went to the same grad school as the author did and got a PhD in physics there. Most of the professors I knew who taught the guy said the same thing to me about the book. It's just awful.

I think comments like that kind of miss the point. The book isn't supposed to be a textbook. It's supposed to get you interested enough in the subject to want to study it further; that's when you go read the textbooks.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Killing trees takes CO2 out of the atmosphere? I think you've got this backwards.

Growing trees to make them into timber, pulp, etc. takes CO2 out of the atmosphere. As long as you're not growing them to burn them, it's one of the most effective CO2 sequestration methods we have. 77% of tree usage in the US is for timber and pulpwood. Fast-growing species are planted and harvested over a 10-20 year cycle so that as each section is cut down and replanted, another section is maturing. It's both sust…

Thanks. That makes sense. My brain farted and I couldn't make the leap after "What's wrong with killing trees? You're just taking CO2 out of the atmosphere."

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#45

I loved GEB, but since reading it (and jumping in and re-reading parts here and there when it strikes my fancy) I've come to the conclusion that it's a perfectly laid Dunning-Kruger trap which specifically ensnares people like me. I am not as smart as Hofstadter, and I know it, and so I'll never be sure I've actually understood the meat of the message. I think I get strange loops, recursion, self-reference and the me…

I think you might be right. The most valuable thing for me from the book was the explanation of Godel's theorem, and I really enjoyed all the language play. After that, I grew really uncomfortable with the comparisons to "this could be how the brain works."

I have the firm belief that figuring out how the brain works will not be accomplished through pure mathematics, but through scientific inquiry.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#46

This is such a awful book. Pure hipster material.

I finally created an account and stopped lurking to say:

I don't think this comment is a troll. GEB teaches a relatively thin stream of technical ideas through very precious, "cutesy" prose.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a joke? I can only guess that you tried to read it, and didn't understand it.

I went to the same grad school as the author did and got a PhD in physics there. Most of the professors I knew who taught the guy said the same thing to me about the book. It's just awful.

If you treat the book as an experience rather than a tome containing the answer to life the universe and everything, it's quite enjoyable.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#48

I loved GEB, but since reading it (and jumping in and re-reading parts here and there when it strikes my fancy) I've come to the conclusion that it's a perfectly laid Dunning-Kruger trap which specifically ensnares people like me. I am not as smart as Hofstadter, and I know it, and so I'll never be sure I've actually understood the meat of the message. I think I get strange loops, recursion, self-reference and the me…

Have you ever seen Hofstadter try to summarize the idea conveyed in the book? He really is not able to, and so I think the book pretty much boils down to "hey here's a bunch of weird/cool stuff." Which is not such a bad thing. But for me, there was a point where I had to stop reading, I think when he tries to independently derive propositional logic or something like that? (It has been a while.) I just remember finding it to be a tedious retread of something everyone already took for granted.

Re: 6 month read-through/discussion of Gödel, Escher, Bach starting 1/17 on Reddit

#50
GEB is a very large book with a small message. I do not recommend it. It is mostly an accumulation of the observations of metaphors and analogies by the author. Yes, I read the book but I found it very disappointing.

If you want to learn about Goedel's work then instead read a book that is much shorter and to the point:

"Godel's Proof by Ernest Nagel

http://www.amazon.com/Gödels-Proof-Ernest-Nagel/dp/081475837...

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