The Mind's I
Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul
by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Daniel C. Dennett · first published 1962
63% recommend37% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Anthology of stories and essays on self, mind and consciousness, mixing short sci-fi with philosophy from Turing, Borges, Lem, Nagel and others. Lighter than GEB; suits lay readers new to philosophy of mind.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
With contributions from Jorge Luis Borges, Richard Dawkins, John Searle, and Robert Nozick, The Mind's I explores the meaning of self and consciousness through the perspectives of literature, artificial intelligence, psychology, and other disciplines. In selections that range from fiction to scientific speculations about thinking machines, artificial intelligence, and the nature of the brain, Hofstadter and Dennett present a variety of conflicting visions of the self and the soul as explored through the writings of some of the twentieth century's most renowned thinkers.
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…persuasive: that there is a certain subjective quality to consciousness & conscious experience— it must feel like something to be a bat, or a person, or whatever? Hofstadter's and Dennett's book, The Mind's I (http://www.amazon.com/Minds-Fantasies-Reflections-Self-Soul/...) is an interesting introduction to this kind of stuff, the authors have a lot of fun @ qualia's expense.
on “Ask HN: Do you think machine consciousness is possible?” ↗If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter, which includes a few of Nagel's essays and many others of value. If you're interested in things like crime and punishment, Leo Katz has written several highly…
on “Surprisingly undervalued books” ↗…(electrical-based logic on silicon). The argument you pose have many signs of being an appeal to the ghost in the machine. For anyone interested in exploring ideas around (self)consciousness and the mind, The Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett is a good read.
on “Deep image prior 'learns' on just one image” ↗It changed my life as well -- along with other great books he wrote: "The Mind's I", a collaboration with Daniel Dennett, is a more light read than Gödel Escher Bach which also talks about consciousness, emergence and cognition. "Metamagical Themas" is a collection of fascinating articles…
on “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” ↗The Emperor’s New Mind, Penrose. The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul, Hofstadter and Dennet. The Society of Mind, Minsky. Martin Gardner. http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt... Donald Knuth. http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt...…
on “Ask HN: What recreational books related to programming can you recommend?” ↗The author's (Douglas R. Hofstadter) other two books (which kinda form a trilogy) are also great companions: The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul I Am a Strange Loop ...and yes, they are all very challenging reads. On the "computer science" perspective, they are definitely worth reading if you are at…
on “Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?” ↗…Likewise The Essential Gandhi, by Mahatma Gandhi. Haven't read all of it or even as much as I should, but his autobiography of his early years and experiments with truth are the story of a great soul. The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self & Soul by Douglas R. Hofstadter. Various attempts to reconcile the mind-body dichotomy and build a science of cognition. Human behavior The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗Godel, Escher, Bach (An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas Hofstadter. Also, The Mind's I (more philosophical) edited by the same guy.
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter Edited by Douglas Hofstadter & Daniel Dennett you mean ;-) Daniel Dennett's philosophical writings on consciousness/AI and religion are also very approachable.…
on “Surprisingly undervalued books” ↗You might find The Mind's I [1], co-edited by Dan Dennett and Douglas Hofstadter, to be valuable. In particular, a piece called "Prelude... Ant Fugue" [2], written by Hofstadter, covers some of this territory. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mind%27s_I [2]…
on “Daniel Dennett, Author of ‘Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking’” ↗Definitely, also worth reading is "Mind's I" which he co-edited --and did commentary-- with Daniel Dennett.
on “The Man Who Would Teach Machines to Think” ↗Have a look at the "The mind's I" [1]. It is a collection of essays and other short texts on consciousness, self, AI and strange loops with added commentary by Hofstadter and Dennett. [1]: http://www.amazon.com/Minds-Fantasies-Reflections-Self-Soul/...
on “Bret Victor's favourite books” ↗…Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking covers his thoughts on consciousness and evolution in a very direct and superbly clear manner. Dennett also co-edited an anthology of fiction and non-fiction called The Mind's I with Douglas Hofstadter (of Godel, Escher, Bach fame). It was one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have ever read. It covers a very wide variety of topics surrounding the editors' theory…
on “Ants swarm like brains think” ↗After you're done reading GEB, I highly recommend moving on to the rarely mentioned "The Mind's I", Hofstadter and Dennett's 1981 collection of essays and stories about self/mind by themselves, Alan Turing, Richard Dawkins, Stanislaw Lem, and others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mind's_I
on “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” ↗The Mind's I, by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett Blowed my mind when I read the Chinese translation of this book 25 years ago in College.
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗