Gödel, Escher, Bach (Book Club, December 2017)

This is the wrap-up video for the six month of the book club. This month we read Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter.

About the book:

Douglas Hofstadter's book is concerned directly with the nature of "maps" or links between formal systems. However, according to Hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. If life can grow out of the formal chemical substrate of the cell, if consciousness can emerge out of a formal system of firing neurons, then so too will computers attain human intelligence. Gödel, Escher, Bach is a wonderful exploration of fascinating ideas at the heart of cognitive science: meaning, reduction, recursion, and much more.

Interested in joining the book club?

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https://www.amazon.com/Godel-Escher-B...

Note: this video contains spoiler alerts!

Short on time? Click here to jump to specific sections:

0:00 Introduction to Godel, Escher, Bach
5:59 M.C. Escher vs Kurt Godel: Art & Mathematics
9:14 The Tangled Hierarchy & Computer Science
15:21 Problems With Existing Mathematical Systems Pre-Godel
23:49 The Impossibility of Avoiding Paradox Within Mathematical Systems
28:58 Implications for AI
35:24 Broader Applications and Concluding Thoughts