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It sounds like you're making a distinction between the plot and the theme. I'd argue the plot is entirely about Godel's incompleteness theorem. It's not just "

It sounds like you're making a distinction between the plot and the theme. I'd argue the plot is entirely about Godel's incompleteness theorem. It's not just "mentioned in passing", the entire book is centered around a series of increasingly complex explanations that culminate in explaining the actual theorem itself. But just like a good novel is way, way more than just the plot, GEB is way more than just the Godel incompleteness theorem. Personally I didn't really find any other thesis or theme that compelling. However, I absolutely loved the clever ways in which he illustrated each concept. Others may have appreciated other aspects of it, and that's great too. Many people can enjoy the book for different reasons.

knightoffaith 3y ago
I shouldn't have said "mentioned" to insinuate "mentioned in passing", you are right. But no, though it plays a central role in his argument, GEB is not about Godel's incompleteness theorem (I believe Hofstadter even says as much in the preface, and he laments that readers didn't get the overall point of the book - though I don't have my copy with me to confirm, so I might be misremembering exactly what he says). But anyway - you and anyone else of course are free to enjoy Hofstadter's explanations of Godel's incompleteness theorem - maybe you even think that it is the best/most interesting/most fun/most insightful explanation. I just mean to say that Hofstadter isn't writing this book primarily to explain technical concepts - his explanations are a means to an end. So someone who struggles to get through this book shouldn't feel bad - its main goal was never to be a "must-read for programmers" anyway.
trgn 3y ago
100% The Godel proof chapter feels like the apotheosis of the book. The rest almost feels tacked on, e.g. the whole dna-computing ... , even the "strange loops" part, which I would not think is the main crux of the book.

knightoffaith 3y ago

I shouldn't have said "mentioned" to insinuate "mentioned in passing", you are right. But no, though it plays a central role in his argument, GEB is not about Godel's incompleteness theorem (I believe Hofstadter even says as much in the preface, and he laments that readers didn't get the overall point of the book - though I don't have my copy with me to confirm, so I might be misremembering exactly what he says). But anyway - you and anyone else of course are free to enjoy Hofstadter's explanations of Godel's incompleteness theorem - maybe you even think that it is the best/most interesting/most fun/most insightful explanation. I just mean to say that Hofstadter isn't writing this book primarily to explain technical concepts - his explanations are a means to an end. So someone who struggles to get through this book shouldn't feel bad - its main goal was never to be a "must-read for programmers" anyway.

trgn 3y ago

100% The Godel proof chapter feels like the apotheosis of the book. The rest almost feels tacked on, e.g. the whole dna-computing ... , even the "strange loops" part, which I would not think is the main crux of the book.