Hofstadter
My mother picked a big book off the shelf in Foyles when I was 13. 'This looks like the kind of thing you'd enjoy'. It had a big impossible triangle on the cover: it was the greatest book of scientific philosophy ever, 'Godel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid'. I absolutely devoured it - I didn't understand half of it, but I didn't care. It was playful, brilliant and subtle, and it featured dialogues that ran the same in reverse direction, that had hidden acrostics, that represented Godel's Theorem in the form of a Zen koan, ...

Through Hofstadter, I discovered Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins, and developed a passion for theories of consciousness, evolution and AI. I really can't imagine who I'd be if I hadn't read this book. (And indeed his others, especially Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies).

A few years ago, while working on a website, I had the good luck to be able to contact many of my heroes, but the only one I literally shook as I spoke to was Hofstadter.
( flatfrog Staring vacantly into space, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:40, 9 replies)

so
was the book actually call Hofstadter, or can you remember the name if it wasnt, it sounds intreaguing
(pogo_it, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:53, closed)

The clue's in the text...
'Godel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid'
( flatfrog Staring vacantly into space, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:02, closed)

You read EGB at 13?
Whoah. Lucky you. I wish I'd discovered it earlier.

I spent months of a long summer reading that when I was in my mid-twenties. It's absolutely brilliant and has one of the best explanations of Godel's theorem I've ever read.

Off to re-read it now
( chthonic, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:11, closed)

I was revising for exams at the time
I used reading it as an excuse for not studying - I called it Maths revision. And in fairness I was a bit of a freak.
( flatfrog Staring vacantly into space, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:15, closed)

Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies
Also by Hofsdater: one of my favourite books - you know, the ones you find while browsing, and think "this might be quite interesting". And it is.

He also seems to have translated Eugene Onegin, into verse, so he might be on the verge of becoming a polymath.
( Ghoti Fingers, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:18, closed)

Don't read the Onegin
It's terrible. Awful, awful translation. His introduction is great, though.
( flatfrog Staring vacantly into space, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:20, closed)

You saved me ...
... £5.93 from amazon.co.uk

Ta.
( Ghoti Fingers, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:35, closed)

Good call.
I almost put "The Minds I" as my choice for similar reasons.
(davywavy, Thu 15 May 2008, 17:57, closed)

ok so
now i feel entirely stupid and shall disappear for a while whilst you all forget
(pogo_it, Mon 19 May 2008, 12:38, closed)