The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul 0th Edition

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

39 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0465030910

ISBN-10: 0465030912

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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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Editorial Reviews

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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 R. Hofstadter is College Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. His previous books are the Pulitzer Prizewinning Gödel, Escher, Bach; Metamagical Themas, The Mind's I, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies, Le Ton Beau de Marot, and Eugene Onegin. 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

Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (January 17, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465030912
ISBN-13: 978-0465030910
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.5 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 39 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #32 in Books > Textbooks > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence
- #111 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > AI & Machine Learning > Intelligence & Semantics
- #165 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Psychology > Cognitive Psychology

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Delightful Entertainment with Plenty of Variety

May 31, 2005

Format: PaperbackVerified 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.

11 people found this helpful

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I would love this book other than the fact that much of ...

August 27, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Really well done and really well written. I would love this book other than the fact that much of it is dated. That's not the author's fault, of course. But so much development has been made in the last 30 years in the cognitive sciences that you'd like to have newer material. Great book in its time though.

One person found this helpful

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This book will keep you up at night.

August 13, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified 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).

3 people found this helpful

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Still interesting 30 years later

June 6, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Collection of fiction, non-fiction & commentary aimed at freeing your mind from preconceptions about what a mind is. Includes Turing's classic 1950 paper proposing the "Turing Test" for whether a machine can think. If you think the human soul can't be an emergent property of the human brain, read this and open yourself to a new version of wonder & mystery.

Turing says that by 2000, computers would have Gigabyte memory, & thinking machines could become possible. Current estimates say maybe a petabyte is more realistic. The authors note that eventually, long after 1981, computers might beat the best human chess players. Nobody considers the possibility of a world wide web of interconnected computers, or Siri conversing with you from an iPhone 5.

One person found this helpful

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Thought/Mindfullness-provoking work of genius!

August 21, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified 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".

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December 12, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified 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!

One person found this helpful

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Frank J. Perricone

Fantastic collection

May 3, 2003

Format: PaperbackVerified 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!

10 people found this helpful

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May not be what you're looking for...

July 6, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I liked the book...I felt like it focused on artificial intelligence fantasies and reflections more than about the human mind. I expected a book about the human condition, not a book about machines.

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Most recent customer reviews

One of my favorite books in addition to Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach.

Published 10 months ago

Published on May 2, 2015

Many good readings in the book

Published on April 21, 2015

Armando A. Hernandez

One of 4 books I felt worth while reading and owning.

Published on November 28, 2014

Excellent collection of essays on self awareness

why are you you and me me? How does sentience and self awareness come from inanimate materials that make up our brains? Discuss.

Published on April 10, 2014

Steven T. Hatton

I haven't read this book in decades, but...

I saw that it has less than 5 whole stars. This book is among the most thought-provoking books I have ever encountered, and the goal of the book is to provoke thought.Read more

Published on October 24, 2013

shepard hurwitz

Hofstadter's Primer on Modern Thinking

This book is not what I expected. Dr Hofstader is a pioneer in revealing complexity and the possibilities of artificial intelligence by furthering the work begun by Alan Turing.Read more

Published on May 1, 2013

highly interesting... but i don't buy it.

This book was written by Dennett and Hofstadter in 81, so it is hardly the cutting edge of the philosophy of mind now, but it was still very interesting and well presented.Read more

Published on April 17, 2012

Better than GEB for sure

Ask yourself 'Who am I ?' OR rather What is 'I' ?
Can a machine truly say 'Cogito ergo sum' and mean it ?
Ah..dwell on that.Read more

Published on November 15, 2011

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