... finally finished.
The introduction to the book, by the author, misleads the reader into thinking the book is going to cover a diverse number of topics that don't have much to do with each other. The author himself claims that he is not really sure if there even is a central idea to the book. This isn't to say that the topics weren't diverse (they were) or that he wouldn't at times ramble confusingly (he did), but the connections he draws and the picture he paints of HOW WE THINK (obvious main idea by end) are brilliant AND easy to comprehend by people who don't have backgrounds in mathematics. Though really: everyone's got a background in mathematics. Math describes everything. (That was sort of a corollary to the main idea.)
I liked the book so much (and thus pursued its complete read-through) probably because the ideas were in line with what I already believed about the world. Of course I recommend it -- because I think others should be gently exposed to the idea that we are, on some levels, automatons with "no" free will, and this book accomplishes this with finesse.
And Hofstadter is a good teacher. He's a little corny, and his puns can be horrible. But he doesn't draw attention to much of the wordplay he puts in the book -- he tosses it in like spice, and the reader is rewarded for being awake and paying attention but doesn't lose much if they zone out every once in a while. I predict that if I reread it right now I would find much I missed the first time around. (Haha, but I'm not going to do that. If I ever attempt to read it cover-to-cover again, it'll be at least a decade before that happens.) He clearly cares that his ideas are clear. This is a picture book: there are 152 figures, and an uncounted number of diagrams, throughout the 742 pages. It's not an easy read, but it's not insurmountable by high-school graduates. Or even high-school students. Gosh, wouldn't it be great if this were required reading??? Yes.
I'm going to go find some chocolate now.
