GEB

I recently finished my reading of GEB and based on one of my close friends idea I would like to present my thoughts as I read through each of the chapters.

For the unintended and for someone looking for a reason to read this book, let me try to paraphrase what this book is about. Before I do that, a statutory warning: Numerous people before me have tried and failed and I know I myself might become one of them, but nevertheless let me give it a go.

First and foremost let me try to define the target audience: This book has an unprecedented fan following on the net throughout the world, so that would mean a huge chunk of the cyberworld population. The kind of people who will find it instantly likeable is someone who likes programming, mathematics, philosophy and above all someone who is looking to find meanings in forms.

Now what this book is about: This book takes you through an unforgettable intellectual journey, something which will stay with you for a long time to come. For me this book is all about discerning patterns where Hofstadter tackles Math, Arts, Music, DNA, Turing and Zen among other things and reunites them all under a common thread.

In case you have started wondering how in the world can these discordant things be connected at all, I highly recommend you to take this journey where Hofstadter with a prelude of dialogues follows it up with profound images of self reference and the likes which is bound to keep you hooked.

Play by their rules and you will survive

Do I have to subscribe to one of the ism-s to survive? Why this fixation within society and with men that he has the best method of solving problems and his ideology should be ceded to by one and all. And see the paradox, he wants other men, the same creation to pledge support to him and to do what -- to prove that he is right. When was this social milieu created? But on the other hand, I do feel that this is the thread which is keeping the social order in place, else there would be anarchy if true freedom prevails. The beast that man is, the needs to be baited always, and enough to keep the savage inside him crushed. We have been seeing and will see more in future the rise of this barbarian under different hoods, he will rise and rise until freedom is achieved. If you ask freedom from what - freedom of expression, freedom from oppression, freedom of thought. This freedom is gonna bring a few things, but will peace be one among them. I doubt it. Then will it be worth it. Yeah, maybe.



What has Capitalism achieved us? What has Communism achieved us and for that matter what has most of these ism-s achieved us. More delusions. The only thing they have accomplished is push us into more chaos. No, don't get me wrong, I am in no way intending that this is bad. I think what it has achieved is just ephemeral. But then these are just smaller parts of the bigger revolution which seems to be happening as we speak.

What is a living being?

Who or what is a living being? Let me try to see if I understand it right ...

We don't call a thing as living being if that thing can just breathe. Also its not an object which can move. Then what constitutes a living being? Is it just its ability to reproduce? If I do see some nodding heads then I would like to dwelve a little deep as to what we mean by "reproduce".

So reproduce is producing oneself again, or basically copying one over. So works well for the modern definition of living beings where we have covered all taxonomic groups. Fair enough. But with our understanding of Genes and how we replicate ourselves, lets see how or why we need to make some changes.

Gene theory tells us that there is a certain DNA structure which is copied over after some permuations and combinations between the two sexes (atleast in most cases). Now we know this gene is a molecular structure which given the right conditions and a set of definite time is able to decode and arrange a given set of molecules in a certain way and hence successfully replicate itself up. So a couple of things which I think needs emphasis -
1) right conditions without which the culmination and hence the replication might never happen
2) definite time which varies based on the complexity and a lot of unknown factors (lets say its the time of implemeting an algorithm)

Well there is our reproduction flowchart. Apply it and wow, you can copy yourself up. But wait a minute, isn't that how NaCl, O₂, H₂O, CO₂ and everything around us (and actually the so called US) have been formed. There are not 100% NaCl molecules around us, neither are there 100% O₂ molecules and why is that. Its the same magic principle, the reproduction flowchart. Continued later ....

What today constitutes our antipathy to "man" ?

What today constitutes our antipathy to "man" ? - for we suffer from man, beyond doubt-- Nietzsche

So what am I waiting for ? Where do I think this next revolution will come from. Am I not becoming one among them ...... This really sucks, this whole drama enacted so perfectly and here I am playing away my part. Why is that I no longer feel the urge to come out of it. Why has my spirit been handed a premature death.

No but there is hope too, I know the next big change is around the corner, it has already started exuding, yes I know it wont be long. This is more of an idiopathy. Yes, the maligned tumor which has been growing is now too big to be controlled.FREE US, GET THE SELFLESS SPIRIT OUT, yes, LET IT FLOURISH SINCE THATS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.