The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self & Soul

A collection of writings from various authors on human consciousness.

I will be brief. A great read. Haven't read it? Do so. Includes such greats as Jorge Luis Borges, Stanislaw Lem (one of my new favorite authors, I think). Hofstadter and Dennett compiled quite an anthology.

Great way to turn your mind to mush and make you think about the world in a completely different way than before you read it.

Este libro contiene diferentes historias, todas ellas de ficción, que hipotetizan sobre la mente, el alma, la inteligencia, y la computación, llegando a paradojas lógicas que me han hecho pensar mucho. Cada historia es de un autor diferente. Me gustó mucho una de Smullyan, "Is god a Taoist?", que no habla del taoismo, sino que es una hipotética conversación entre un mortal y un...more

Este libro contiene diferentes historias, todas ellas de ficción, que hipotetizan sobre la mente, el alma, la inteligencia, y la computación, llegando a paradojas lógicas que me han hecho pensar mucho. Cada historia es de un autor diferente. Me gustó mucho una de Smullyan, "Is god a Taoist?", que no habla del taoismo, sino que es una hipotética conversación entre un mortal y un hipotético "Dios". El mortal presenta sus quejas acerca de su propia existencia, ante Dios, y éste último va contestando con argumentos irrevocablemente lógicos. He disfrutado mucho. Creo que no está traducido al castellano.   hide

An excellent way to introduce yourself to the philosophy of mind, to "what is consciousness?", to the possibility of artificial intelligence, to free will, to soulstuff versus stark scientific materialism. Dennet and Hofstadter use short stories or brief excerpts to illustrate a popular idea in philosophy of mind, then comment on it. Some of the stories are absolutely amazing, as is the...more

An excellent way to introduce yourself to the philosophy of mind, to "what is consciousness?", to the possibility of artificial intelligence, to free will, to soulstuff versus stark scientific materialism. Dennet and Hofstadter use short stories or brief excerpts to illustrate a popular idea in philosophy of mind, then comment on it. Some of the stories are absolutely amazing, as is the commentary on them. Others leaving you more calmly thinking, "yeah, I could see that", and very few leave you thinking, "oh come on, this is ridiculous." Nevertheless, I highly suggest it to anyone interested in whether or not a soul exists, what it means to be a "self", or anyone interested in psychology, philosophy, science, or oddly enough even computer science or AI. Some stories are very demanding intellectually, but most could be read by the average college freshman.   hide

uneven, but with some perls in there.

Superb book on consciousness. A collection of essays from various authors with following reflections by Hofstadter and Dennett.

Dan's first big hit?

I now know much more about myself. In the midst of a graduate computer science curriculum, this was exactly the non-technical diversion I needed to remind myself that I am alive.