Courses:

Course Info

• Course Number / Code:
• SP.258 (Spring 2007) 
• Course Title:
• Gödel, Escher, Bach 
• Course Level:
• Undergraduate 
• Offered by :
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  Massachusetts, United States  
• Department:
• Special Programs 
• Course Instructor(s):
• Robert Speer 
• Course Introduction:
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  SP.258 / ESG.SP258 Gödel, Escher, Bach
  
  
  
  

  Spring 2007

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Course Highlights

  
  
  

  
  
  SP.258 / ESG.SP258 Gödel, Escher, Bach
  
  
  
  

  Spring 2007

  
  
  

  

  The Penrose triangle, also known as the tribar, is an impossible object. It appears to be a solid triangle made of three straight beams of square cross-section which meet at right angles. It is featured prominently in the works of artist M.C. Escher, whose earlier depictions of impossible objects partly inspired it. (Image by MIT OCW.)

  
  
  

  Course Description

  
  
  

  How are math, art, music, and language intertwined? How does intelligent behavior arise from its component parts? Can computers think? Can brains compute? Douglas Hofstadter probes very cleverly at these questions and more in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Gödel, Escher, Bach". In this seminar, we will read and discuss the book in depth, taking the time to solve its puzzles, appreciate the Bach pieces that inspired its dialogues, and discover its hidden tricks along the way.