Clear all
Work #598 · Mid

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Douglas R. Hofstadter
1979 · English
Cognitive science / mathematical-philosophical work · American cognitive science / artificial intelligence

Hofstadter's 1979 foundational text — strange loops, self-reference, and the emergence of consciousness

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Mid)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

The recursive-temporal flow of strange loops.

Space

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

The formal-symbolic space.

Matter

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

The material substrate of formal systems.

Observer

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

The strange-loop self-referencing mind.

Energy

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Energies of self-referential emergence.

Information

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Central — information-formal framework of self-reference.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Hofstadter's strange-loop theory of consciousness foundational for emergentist accounts.