Hofstadter--who won a Pulitzer for his 1979 book, "Gdel, Escher, Bach"--blends a surprising array of disciplines and styles in his continuing rumination on the nature of consciousness.
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Hofstadter--who won a Pulitzer for his 1979 book, "Gdel, Escher, Bach"--blends a surprising array of disciplines and styles in his continuing rumination on the nature of consciousness.
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Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $4.98, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Hard cover books may show signs of wear on the spine cover or dust jacket. Paperback book may show signs of wear on spine or cover as well as having a slight bend curve or creasing to it. Book should have minimal to no writing inside and no highlighting. Pages should be free of tears or creasing. Stickers should not be present on cover or elsewhere and any CD or DVD expected with the book is included. Book is not a former library copy.
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $4.98, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Fair. Book is considered to be in acceptable condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Book may have one or more of the following defects: noticeable wear on the cover dust jacket or spine; curved dog eared or creased page s; writing or highlighting inside or on the edges; sticker s or other adhesive on cover; CD DVD may not be included; and book may be a former library copy.
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $5.97, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Industries rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Fair. Purchasing this item from Goodwill provides vocational opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment. Reading Copy. May have damage to cover, notes, underlining, highlighting, but all text legible.
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $5.98, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $9.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $9.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $9.49, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of I Am a Strange Loop to cart. $9.97, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Silicon Valley rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Jose, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Basic Books.
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Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in Good condition! Any other included accessories are also in Good condition showing use. Use can include some highlighting and writing page and cover creases as well as other types visible wear.
The author is brilliant but I found most of the book difficult and pointless. The author gets personal about two-thirds through the book and I found that chapter moving. His construction of the human identity from feedback we get from others is excellent as far as it goes. But he doesn't posit anything beyond the ego, which I find shallow.
eclecticreader2
Dec 13, 2007
Read this book only if you like mathematics
This book outlines Hofstadter's theory of consciousness. The book is well written, but I found it difficult to read the first part, even though I have an affinity with math, due to the amount of mathematical theory used as a metaphor to illustrate Hofstadter's concepts. What follows is an excerpt from a critical summary paper I wrote for one of my classes in graduate school. Hofstadter uses the terms ?consciousness,? ?inner light,? ?I?, and ?soul? interchangeably. He theorizes that each human is born with a blank slate of consciousness or essentially ?no soul.? Over time, our brains categorize the phenomena we take in with our senses into symbols. Symbols are structures housed within our brain cells and they represent ?concepts.? Symbols are then grouped into categories or successively more complex patterns of structures, ad infinitum. Eventually, the human develops a sense of ?self? or ?I? which is the sum of his or her concepts of ?hopes,? ?dreams,? ?experience,? etc. According to Hofstadter, the ?I? is an illusion; his entire theory of consciousness is built on the laws of physics. There is no ?duality? of belief in some extraordinary, non-physical essence that makes each of us an ?I.? Hofstadter uses analogy and metaphor throughout the book to substantiate his ideas. His theory is not based on scientific evidence ? it is presented as a logical argument ? he even uses a dialog format in two of his chapters. Hofstadter defines a macro-level view and a micro-level view of consciousness. At a micro-level, the brain operates mechanically through a process of ?squirting chemicals? through synapses, neurotransmitters and other physical components. All activities of thought and consciousness come from these mechanical activities. From a macro-level perspective, symbols, which represent concepts, are housed in structures within the brain and combinations of these structures form ?multilevel systems." Hofstadter says there?s no physical location for the ?I? structure, it is somehow present across the entire brain, but he doesn?t link them to the micro-level view. I see this as a flaw in his argument that we are essentially mechanical beings because he can?t describe the linkage between micro and macro views. Hofstadter briefly references traditional psychology twice in the text. He references two books <this review editing program won't allow me to put the author's name here because it thinks her name is a bad word> Our Inner Conflicts (1945), and Self-Analysis (1942) and suggests readers be reminded ?of the immense psychological complexity that lies at the core of all human existence." I believe the text needs a more comprehensive discussion of psychological and human development concepts including theories and how they do or don?t apply to Hofstadter?s claims. Overall, this book will challenge your thinking and cause you to question and understand your definitions of "soul" and "self."
