Rating: 
Summary: Probably the best non-fiction book ever written.
Review: Writing a book is an art. However, this normally does not refer to nonfiction books, especially scientific ones. Douglas R. Hofstadter's literary marvel is the exception. It is a philosophy book that reads like music, a work of art that many consider second to none.Gödel, Escher, Bach (GEB) debates the question of consciousness and the possibility of artificial intelligence. It is a book that attempts to discover what "self" really means. Introducing the reader to cognitive science, GEB draws heavily from art to illustrate fine points in mathematics. The works of M.C. Escher and J.S. Bach are discussed, in addition to other works of art and music. The topics presented range from mathematics and meta-mathematics to programming, recursion (in math as well as in computing), formal systems, multilevel systems, self reference, self representation, and others.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book, but a difficult read. Won the Pulitzer Prize.
Review: Reading this book took a lot of effort, but was well worth it. I can't imagine the effort Hofstatder put in to write it. Even after reading the book, it is hard to put a thumb on what it is really about--it is about so many things. It is a philosophical journey into many disciplines. Obviously, by the title, it covers the mathematical proof of Kurt Godel, the art of M.C. Escher, and the music of J.S. Bach, but it is much more than that. A main theme is an examination of the interrelations between these and other disciplines. Another main theme asks whether artificial intelligence can replicate human intelligence. Although I don't agree with some of Hofstadter's assumed premises (i.e. man does not have a soul, etc.), and therefor some of the conclusions he reaches, I still admire this work and the effort put forth. The book is a well rounded informative intellectual journey.
Rating:
Summary: Read it again!
Review: Wow! Self-referential, multi-layered, thought-provoking, and funny! Mathematics, art, music, and the mind are woven together and reflected in one another beautifully. You WILL want to read it again.
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Summary: The physics of self.
Review: Reader from California: it is Godel's Theorem not Godel's Theory. The two are quite different. If you had read the book pass page 3 you would know this. But flames aside, this is an excellent book. It lays out a physical, rather than meta-physical, basis of self in a uniquely entertaining way.
Rating:
Summary: The unison of art, mathematics, computer and mind
Review: Hofstadter has done a original work combining art, mathematics, computer and philosophy. He presents the core similarity between the greatest work of art and mathematic which has a great implication on mind. The book is very readable, enjoyable and interlectual. It is a non-fiction which can be read like a fiction. A great book!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best read as a teenager - but nonetheless important!
Review: It's well over a decade since I first read this book so maybe I could say that I have now finally sobered up after the initial intoxication of reading this book! At the absolute very least it gives the most lucid account of Godel's Theorem that I have read. Contrary to what many popular authors would have you believe this is neither the most important nor the most profound theorem of logic but it is a deep and interesting one and to have such a result so accessible in a form that is not watered down is a remarkable achievement. Along the way it gives an introduction to logic and formal systems - important branches of modern mathematics. This material alone is enough to make the book a very worthwhile read. Much of the kind of game playing that goes on in proving Godel's result stems from the same kind of playfulness behind some aspects of the music of Bach and the images of Escher. It would seem that similar ideas that at first seem only mathematical or only artistic can actually find their expression in many different ways. This is also an important insight that makes the book worthwhile. (And by the way - anyone who criticises this book as being just another religious cult book had better make note of this - to damn the book is to damn (or fail to understand) a large chunk of modern thought including much of mathematics.) Elsewhere there is a mass of thought provoking material on Zen, ants, psychology, translation, meaning, representation and computers all of which has prompted many readers to think about these topics in a far broader way. In fact giving this book to someone is a good way to smuggle ideas about non-technical subjects into the thought of someone who would normally only read more technically oriented books - and vice versa! On the other hand I find much of the book's discussion of artificial inteligence a little dated. The book was written in what was probably the heyday of classical artificial intelligence research. Today we see that this research programme produced far less fruit than many expected and much of Hofstadter's discussion doesn't always hold up. I don't think that any kind of magic threshold is going to be crossed on the day we design an artifical system able to reason about itself - by time we reach that point far more amazing thresholds will already have been crossed and self-representation will just be the icing on the cake. So I don't feel that much of the discussion on self-representation is as important or as profound as Hofstadter may originally have thought. Nonetheless there are lessons to be learnt even in this part of the book. Unfortunately I now have to use that oft repeated cliche: 'Unfortunately I now have to use that oft repeated cliche: "This book changed my life!"'. It opened up my mind to the many varied uses for formal systems and self-reference. This isn't just abstraction - it is something I have to deal with in my ordinary everyday work solving problems and designing systems with computers. And more importantly it made me realise how much of a crossover there is between science and art - after all they are both the product of human minds! (And to the review reviewers at amazon.com: the first sentence of the last paragraph wasn't a typo but maybe you need to read the book to see what I mean! (But you can leave this paragraph in if you like (oh dear - too much self-reference can drive one mad. Maybe Godel, Escher, Bach needs a health warning - (hmmm...now how many closing brackets do I need to balance the opening ones...1...2...3...4))))
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books I've read on the subject. BRILLIANT!!!
Review: The brilliant linking between mathemathics,plastic arts and music, the funny dialogs and the theoretical foundation-still easy to read-make this book a "MUST" for any serious phylosophy reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Hypothesis, however non factual
Review: Godels' Theory is just that. Theory. Nothing is proven although some enlightening mathematical juxtipositions are called into play. It is highly entertaining. But I would not call it life changing. I would be very malicious if I did not maintain a skeptical view of this work.
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Summary: One of the most fantastic contemporary works ever written.
Review: This epic voyage into the world of the philosophy of AI and human intelligence is made accessible by Hofstadters absorbing style. One gets the impression that no matter how many times one read the dialogues, based around 4 / 5 characters, there would always be more to find. The layers of complexity in the dialogues makes for an amazing read, especially as layers of complexity is one of the main themes of the book. This book covers all the bases, it will set you thinking in totally new ways.
Rating: 
Summary: Interresting book, which gives a new context
Review: The book is very interresting, especially in the way Hofstadter links the music of bach, the works of esscher and the theory of godel. John
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