Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Hardcover
$49.99

Paperback
$22.71

Mass Market Paperback
—

List Price: $24.99 Details

Save: $2.28 (9%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Thursday, February 1 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 17 hrs 53 mins

Select delivery location

Only 13 left in stock - order soon.

$$22.71 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

CE_BOOKHOUSE

Sold by

CE_BOOKHOUSE

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Thursday, February 1 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by Books & Etcetera

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$22.70
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Blue Rose Seller

Added

Not added

$22.70
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: MT Bookstore

Added

Not added

$22.97
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Amazon.com

Follow the authors

Douglas R. Hofstadter

Follow

Daniel C. Dennett

Follow

The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul Paperback – January 17, 2001

by Douglas R Hofstadter (Author), Daniel C. Dennett (Author)

4.3 132 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$22.71","priceAmount":22.71,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"22","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"71","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"uyuw1D4tmgal4N2JQl0Dc9FVu4kP6Lg%2FGokylaK6jcxRrNfBM0hvj8qGD0zszHZ8f1%2B6FcY4saUd83gtj2%2Bb%2FAdy8R3SO2Qoydlgw5wuJqglfUSrs6ffTXu3ju%2BYkb0ycsc4RSE0deXVsXN3x7aaR5sYnB7o0NDghf2yVDsQ6uFBkVnAzfbVAA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$12.99","priceAmount":12.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"uyuw1D4tmgal4N2JQl0Dc9FVu4kP6Lg%2FsPEO057OH9j89zG4f21vGWu1DnT%2BtENQU%2BGY2XdrCFNj%2FjCQXxwC5dKW2bRR9EPUFVs4UB0N1Zk5zjEaIYkAWZItk25%2F1C1%2FoMV5tmYOaYsTWXTffPa8uAKJk6EtBNvSahqDkBaX%2BpIkmUP5htPTh3zmlLET9Kyx","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

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.

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

January 17, 2001
Dimensions

6 x 1.38 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0465030912
ISBN-13

978-0465030910
Lexile measure

1190L
See all details

Frequently bought together

The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul

$22.71

Get it as soon as Thursday, Feb 1

Only 13 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by CE_BOOKHOUSE and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

$12.99

Get it as soon as Thursday, Feb 1

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

$14.99

Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 31

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Douglas R. Hofstadter
875
Paperback
82 offers from $2.82
Douglas R Hofstadter
2,255
Paperback
in Mathematical Logic
118 offers from $4.02
Daniel C. Dennett
623
Paperback
93 offers from $2.03
Daniel C. Dennett
107
Hardcover
66 offers from $14.50
Douglas R Hofstadter
183
Hardcover
56 offers from $7.29
Daniel C. Dennett
87
Paperback
18 offers from $5.38

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ever wondered who you are? Who you really are? This collection of writings and reflections by some of today's most notable thinkers is designed to enliven this most central, and most baffling, question in the philosophy of mind. In some ways, the questions posed and bantered about in this book are at the heart of all philosophical reasoning. They are the ultimate questions about the self. The Mind's I contains an astonishing variety of approaches to answering the question, "Who am I?" Between the covers of this book one encounters the literary erudition of Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges alongside the analytic rigor of John Searle. There are sophisticated metaphorical pieces (such as "The Princess Ineffabelle" by Polish philosopher and writer Stanislaw Lem), intriguing dialogues (like Raymond Smullyan's "Is God a Taoist?"), and serious but engaging philosophical essays from a host of thinkers (see Thomas Nagel's "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?").

Editors Hofstadter and Dennett--leading lights in the study of cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and the philosophy of mind--follow each selection with a short reflection designed to elaborate on their main themes. The Mind's I admirably broadens their fields to a more general audience. The book's essays are grouped into six categories, each successively raising the philosophical stakes by introducing new levels of complexity. Ultimately, one confronts some of the thorniest questions in modern philosophy here, such as the nature of free will, our place in the metaphysical world, and the possibility of genuine artificial intelligence. The book closes with a playful and perplexing piece by Robert Nozick, an adequate summation to The Mind's I. He writes, "Perhaps God has not decided yet whether he has created, in this world, a fictional world or a real one.... Which decision do you hope for?" --Eric de Place

About the Author

Douglas Hofstadter is College of Arts and Sciences Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His other books include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid; Metamagical Themas; The Mind's I; Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies; Le Ton beau de Marot; and Surfaces and Essences, with Emmanuel Sander. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Daniel C. Dennett is Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books (January 17, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465030912
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465030910
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1190L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.38 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #285,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #445 in Consciousness & Thought Philosophy
- #530 in Medical Cognitive Psychology
- #912 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 132 ratings

Important information

To report an issue with this product or seller, click here.

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Douglas R. Hofstadter
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15, 1945) is an American professor of cognitive science whose research focuses on the sense of "I", consciousness, analogy-making, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics. He is best known for his book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, first published in 1979. It won both the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction and a National Book Award (at that time called The American Book Award) for Science. His 2007 book I Am a Strange Loop won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
See more on the author's page
Daniel C. Dennett
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

132 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Mark A. Weiss

Delightful Entertainment with Plenty of Variety

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2005

Verified Purchase

The book is an anthology of material excerpted from elsewhere -- each essay followed by "reflections" by Dennet and/or Hofstadter. There is plenty of variety, so I guarantee you will find some essays utterly delightful and entertaining -- wether or not you fancy yourself as one who would normally pursue philsophy of mind or epistemology. The "Princess Ineffabelle" is delightful in its poetry -- even for me, a lover of highly analytical discourse. "Is God a Taoist?" is a wonderful example of the socratic dialog -- but entertaining and insightful both as well (and also, as the "reflections" claim, even pious). "The Epistemological Nightmare" is just so many things -- including outright funny. Insights abound here too though -- especially in the "reflections". You think you are "the final aribiter" of what it is like to be you. You know what tastes good to you, etc. The editors show how this is not so unquestionably true. The very fact that we allow "evidence" to support our critiques means that, e.g. taste-testing failures of yours would have to discredit you. If you dis-allow that possibility from the start, you didn't have a test or evidence in the first place. I gave a bit of detail on "The Epistemological Nightmare", I know -- but this gives you a taste for how you will be simultaneously entertained (even to outright laughing), given insights, and prompted to think in ways you never would have thought of. There's plenty of variety to pick from in the book. Go anywhere, any time.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael

This book will keep you up at night.

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

I read The Mind's I over approximately a three week period. For the majority of that time, my wandering thoughts were captivated by musings and thought experiments about cognition and the mind. Whether you're already deeply interested in cognitive philosophy, or if you just want to have something interesting to think/talk about, you should read this book.

That being said, If you're looking for a deeply technical discussion or a book on neurology, then this is not the book for you. Here you will find very little concrete fact. However the lack of technical detail and care does not take away from the intended goal of this book (just like basically all of Hofstadter's other works).

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

BRANDI

Thought/Mindfullness-provoking work of genius!

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2011

Verified Purchase

"The MInd's Eye" is a thought provoking book that examines the ideas of "self" and "I" via many disparate authors/essays. Dennett is featured prominently, as are Dawkins and others from the worlds of philosophy/science/literature/criticism/psychology. It is a wide reaching book, and academic enough, while remaining easily accesssable to anyone w/ a sincere interest in exploring one's self. It's an entertaining, clever piece of prose and science. I highly recommend it to those who've enjoyed "Explaining Conscioussness", and "Breaking the Spell".

One person found this helpful

Helpful

James

A great read!

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2010

Verified Purchase

A great read! It is an edited work and so contains many short stories/essays with consciousness as the subject. You might not like all of the stories/essays, but you'll like most of them.

`What am I?', `Where am I?', and so forth are general topics.

I've had this book for years and will pick it up and re-read different parts for entertainment. I never fail to get something new out of it with every re-read.

Buy it, you'll like it!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Wonderful book, amazing - Kindle version like a fork in your eye

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

Absolutely horrible Kindle version of a favourite book. I own multiple printed copies so I can give them away (they never come back!) yet always be assured I have one. When it came out in Kindle (for a long time not available) I immediately purchased it.

This is AWFUL - if it is your only way, I suppose you might have to, but STRONGLY consider tracking down a printed copy. In fact, do that instead. Only if you fail after a year of searching, consider this. It's worth the wait in comparison.

No table of contents, no page breaks, no chapter breaks, horrific page formatting (e.g. sentences randomly starting new lines in the middle - some horrible formatting DISASTER), and is overall so awful as to change your opinion of this book for the worse and ruin your enjoyment.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lydia

The Mind's I opener

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2006

Verified Purchase

This book by D&D is a wonderful, elegant, and fun way to introduce philosophical ideas about the mind. Especially in regards to people that have no familiarity, and even no interest! Because of the strong Hofstadter feel to this book (I don't think Dennett put much into this) anyone can pick it up and begin opening their "Mind's I" to the exhilaratingly beautiful philosophy of mind. So, if you for some reason you aren't interested in philosophy (IMPOSSIBLE!), but still enjoy thought-provoking fiction, Lewis Carroll type wit, and self-reflection, you'll still be able to appreciate this book.

I particularly enjoyed `A Conversation with Einstein's Brain' which was written by Hofstadter. In it, the reader is presented more implicit concepts about the mind than they will be able to recognize, with or without prior familiarity with the topics. It's truly a classic piece of art. Moreover, if you're not going to read the whole thing, or don't like a few essays in a row, don't put it down too quickly! If you hate it that much, skip to the second to last essay (mentioned above) and pry open your minds eye.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Freesia Perricone

Fantastic collection

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2003

Verified Purchase

If you've ever asked questions about mind, intelligence, identity, and the unity of the organism, you need to read this book. It's a collection of nice little stories and articles that are individually quite digestible. But each one is a great inspiration for questions and ideas and thoughts. And cumulatively, they present a synergistic panoply of alternative views and issues that synthesize into a truly enriching mind-altering experience.
Perhaps the best testament to this book's appeal is that I keep having to buy new copies because each time I let someone borrow it I never get it back. Or perhaps it's that I keep buying new copies anyway!

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Bernie Hernandez

Required introduction to “self” and “consciousness.”

Reviewed in Australia on July 12, 2020

Verified Purchase

Having read it originally more than twenty years ago but leaving it behind during my move to Australia, I am SO happy to have found it still available on print, although I would’ve loved to get it on kindle, instead.

I consider this book, if not triggered, certainly cemented my interest in the concepts of “self” and “consciousness” in a way that has enlightened my career ever since.

It is quite interesting and entertaining the way both co-editors select and discuss each of the selections, but not always agreeing on why nor their perspectives on the main topics. Reminds me a lot of Plato’s Dialogues, with the twist of all the parties in this book being real humans (or not?)

Definitely recommended, even if you don’t agree with other works of the editors.

Dylan Gimel

Great

Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

Excellent stories, both the fiction and non-fiction. Still open it up from time to time.

Mani Srinivasan

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on November 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

If you like philosophy and artificial intelligence, this is the book for you..

One person found this helpful

John

Mind blowing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2011

Verified Purchase

I first bought this book at least twenty years ago and it had a profound affect on how I thought about life, the universe and everything. I recommend it without reservation to anyone who wants to try looking at things another way (or another couple of ways or three)

3 people found this helpful

Phillip Carter

I recommend grabbing "I am a strange loop" also

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

I recommend grabbing "I am a strange loop" also, they go very well together. I love this sort of thing, so I am biased towards a five star review...

See more reviews