From: Ross A. Finlayson (raf@tiki-lounge.com)
Date: Sun Mar 11 2001 - 22:41:45 MST
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
> Jim Fehlinger wrote:
> >
> > Eliezer says about the "Great Holy Book" (_Godel, Escher, Bach_) "This
> > book is mandatory reading for all members of the human species." Dare
> > I confess I haven't read it? Of course, I listened to people saying all
> > through the 80's how wonderful it is, but the title immediately put me off.
> > The suggestion "I'm a wunderkind mathematician and computer scientist,
> > but I know all about art too, and I'm going to show you how the former
> > illuminates the latter while dazzling you with my erudition"
>
> For Ifni's sake, Jim, how on Earth did you manage to wind up with this
> weirdo prejudice? This bears no relation whatsoever to reality.
> Remember, _GEB_ was Hofstadter's *first* work, produced *before*
> Hofstadter became the grand patron saint of AI. _GEB_ is *not*, in any
> remote sense of the word, artsy-fartsy or critic-pleasing or show-offy or
> self-indulgent. There is no trace of it. Hofstadter's later work, having
> been produced by a Pulitzer-prize-winning author, may not meet that
> standard - I particularly don't recommend "Le Ton beau de Marot" - but the
> Great Eternal Book is without flaw.
>
> Now READ.
>
> -- -- -- -- --
> Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://singinst.org/
> Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
I'm Anti-Cantorian. That means Cantor is having been examined. Here Cantor
refers to Georg Cantor, a Russian who moved to Germany and made some set theory.
You can read more about it on sci.math. I haven't read this book ESY mentions.
The "cantor" is also a role in the Judaical church, they are completely
unrelated. Cantor talked about the "cardinality of infinite sets" and named his
cardinal numbers alephs.
I'm also Anti-Goedelian. No paradoxes, only one ur-paradox.
Cantor and Goedel are each dead! Have a nice day,
Ross
-- Ross Andrew Finlayson Finlayson Consulting Ross at Tiki-Lounge: http://www.tiki-lounge.com/~raf/ "It's always one more." - Internet multi-player computer game player
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