3 ms·

What's so significant about GEB? I bought it on recommendation from a friend, but haven't gotten that far in my reading queue yet.

• cgh 12y ago
  It's a profound and singular book that made a huge impression on my young mind as I'd never encountered anything like it - in fact, I had no idea something like it existed. It might not make such an impact on the modern reader, I don't really know.
• Retra 12y ago
  Most explanations you hear about phenomena experienced in your life are packed in a kind of "made for popular consumption" language. People say things and pretend that the explanations are sufficient as understanding. GEB is a book that _tries_ to explain things that we don't have words for. There is no facade of popular packaging. You won't understand it unless you're willing to think about things with an open mind -- things that you would be unable to explain to someone else concisely. (By 'open mind' I mean _actual_ open mindedness, not the meaning it is normally employed to assert -- that is: "willingness to be manipulated.")
• sukilot 12y ago
  Hoftstadter struggles with deep metaphysical questions, which will never have satisfying answers. But there is a unique art to his exploration. The problem is that if you read it when you are young, you think there are answers in the book,when really there are only musings.