10 Books That Anyone Who Cares About Science Needs to Read
7. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas R. Hofstadter
Sometimes it seems as though each new step towards AI, rather than producing something which everyone agrees is real intelligence, merely reveals what real intelligence is not. - Douglas R. Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid Somewhere within the intersection of art and science, this book resides. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid doesnt just examine what is arty about science, it also explores the mathematical representations found in art that can somehow have the ability to evoke certain responses in our brain. The book focuses on three main adherent themes: The logic of Gödel, the art of Escher and the music of Bach. It then attempts to analyse how these coincide with the mathematical and symmetrical nature of how we cognitively react to artistic stimuli. This summary does not do this book justice. Author Hofstadter utilises images and puzzles to expound certain concepts that cannot be explained in words alone. It also discusses how rules and structure allow things that are generally meaningless to make a place in our brains and to become more important than their constituent parts. This book is thought provoking to the point that it eventually makes you ask yourself: do you actually feel that way, or is it your brain just tricking you?
