Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site uwmacc.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!myers From: myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Jeff Myers) Newsgroups: net.books Subject: Re: Godel, Escher, Bach Message-ID: <1016@uwmacc.UUCP> Date: Wed, 1-May-85 16:57:22 EDT Article-I.D.: uwmacc.1016 Posted: Wed May 1 16:57:22 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 4-May-85 03:56:50 EDT References: <262@cmu-cs-gandalf.ARPA> <582@tpvax.fluke.UUCP> <195@u1100s.UUCP> Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center Lines: 19 > > Unfortunately, if the book had any fatal flaw, it was not that it was too > difficult, it was that it was too "popular." In particular, I truly wish > that after having read this tome I would have really understood Godel's > Incompleteness Theorem. It just wasn't there (but read Raymond Smullian's > "The Lady and the Tiger"). The book just didn't get deep enough into > formal systems to properly deal with Incompleteness. > > By the way, I have never actually met anyone else (face-to-face) who > has really read GEB cover-to-cover (and is willing to admit it). > > Stan Switzer They are difficult to find. I like GEB, and I also like the presentation of the Incompleteness Theorem. I found his way of attacking something fairly difficult to explain rather fruitful. It definately helped that I had majored in Math, tho. jeff m