5 ms·

I don't know if it counts as a serious philosophy book, but I really enjoyed Godel, Escher, Bach. Math, computers, consciousness, etc. I'm currently reading R

by jrp 16y ago

I don't know if it counts as a serious philosophy book, but I really enjoyed Godel, Escher, Bach. Math, computers, consciousness, etc. I'm currently reading Reasons and Persons. Thought experiments and discussion about how personal identity works under, eg, transporter copies.

rms 16y ago
Godel, Escher, Bach won a Pulitzer Prize; I think that counts as serious. :)
- darushimo 16y ago
  it may be serious, but it is not 'philosophy' as the topic is generally understood. (not to discount it as a worthwhile read.)
  - wanderingmango 16y ago
    Actually, at its core it is philosophical and mathematical logic. So yes, it is philosophy.
baddox 16y ago
I think many readers will be surprised at how accessible "Gödel, Escher, Bach" actually is. I'm not an expert at anything: I have no work experience and maybe two serious computer science courses under my belt, but GEB really satisfies an intellectual curiosity I've had for years. I'm 550 pages in (out of about 750 pages) and with the exception of the two chapters discussing the anatomy of the human brain (a subject I'm just not that interested in), I've torn through this book—I only started reading about three months ago, which means I've been reading GEB much faster than any other book I've ever opened. I highly recommend "Gödel, Escher, Bach" even to those who have seen other people recommend it yet have been reluctant to try it out.
- spacemanaki 16y ago
  Plus one to this, it really is quite readable, I think it's overly characterized as very dense and difficult.
- kleevr 16y ago
  > (out of about 750 pages) Come on, it's 777 pages for a reason! :) When I realized the page count (purposefully) included the index I was quite tickled. So many gems, little and large...
steveplace 16y ago
It's taken me 6 months to get through part 1. GEB is a tough read.
kpich 16y ago
+1 Reasons and Persons. The Personal Identity section in that in particular is wonderful! It's a really good book because it kind of stands alone -- you don't need to be very well-versed in philosophy to get the arguments if you read carefully.
MWinther 16y ago
I bought GEB when I was 13, mostly because I liked the Escher paintings. I was hooked after reading the first Achilles/Turtle episode, though, and even though many concepts went over my head at the time. I still haven't read it cover to cover, though, but I still have a hard time not agreeing with this particular recommendation.

by jrp 16y ago

rms 16y ago

Godel, Escher, Bach won a Pulitzer Prize; I think that counts as serious. :)

darushimo 16y ago
it may be serious, but it is not 'philosophy' as the topic is generally understood. (not to discount it as a worthwhile read.)
- wanderingmango 16y ago
  Actually, at its core it is philosophical and mathematical logic. So yes, it is philosophy.

baddox 16y ago

I think many readers will be surprised at how accessible "Gödel, Escher, Bach" actually is. I'm not an expert at anything: I have no work experience and maybe two serious computer science courses under my belt, but GEB really satisfies an intellectual curiosity I've had for years. I'm 550 pages in (out of about 750 pages) and with the exception of the two chapters discussing the anatomy of the human brain (a subject I'm just not that interested in), I've torn through this book—I only started reading about three months ago, which means I've been reading GEB much faster than any other book I've ever opened. I highly recommend "Gödel, Escher, Bach" even to those who have seen other people recommend it yet have been reluctant to try it out.

spacemanaki 16y ago
Plus one to this, it really is quite readable, I think it's overly characterized as very dense and difficult.
kleevr 16y ago
> (out of about 750 pages) Come on, it's 777 pages for a reason! :) When I realized the page count (purposefully) included the index I was quite tickled. So many gems, little and large...

steveplace 16y ago

It's taken me 6 months to get through part 1. GEB is a tough read.

kpich 16y ago

+1 Reasons and Persons. The Personal Identity section in that in particular is wonderful! It's a really good book because it kind of stands alone -- you don't need to be very well-versed in philosophy to get the arguments if you read carefully.

MWinther 16y ago

I bought GEB when I was 13, mostly because I liked the Escher paintings. I was hooked after reading the first Achilles/Turtle episode, though, and even though many concepts went over my head at the time. I still haven't read it cover to cover, though, but I still have a hard time not agreeing with this particular recommendation.