This is a sprawling, all-enveloping tome that really shouldn’t work. The ridiculous breadth of topics it covers: from the foundations of logic, to zen buddhism, to genetics, to artificial intelligence is astounding. The fact that Hofstadter manages to interweave them into a coherent piece that links together beautifully (in one golden braid) with the thoughts of Bach and Escher is pure genius.
I read this book for two reasons. Firstly, as a challenge: everyone I knew and respected who had read this book had failed but raved of its greatness. Secondly, as an insight into Godel’s theorem, which seems to be one of the deepest insights of the 20th century. Godel, Escher, Bach delievered far more. It is witty and funny with dialogues at the start of every chapter in the style of Lewis Carroll that lead into the proceeding text, explaining the ideas to come in that chapter.
It’s clear that Hoftstadter massively enjoyed this venture. Every now and again you get glimpses of him toying with the reader with subtle references and tricks in the writing. As someone with a background in physics, I thoroughly enjoyed inside jokes Hofstadter made in that vein, and I don’t know how many jokes I missed in sections about computer science, biology or otherwise that require a much broader knowledge than mine.
Fundamentally, GEB starts by inspiring you to not give up with the challenge that it is. Then it dives into the most granular corners and ever so slowly builds up and up until it reaches the loftiest heights from which it can muse and ponder the world to come.