if you have a degree in advanced maths, i would postulate the book isn't written for people like you. Its a laymen's book, written for the general public with no indepth knowledge of maths - and yet it manages to both inform, and pique the interest of readers. Sure, it isn't vigorous like one would have to be for a published scientific paper, but a normal person don't read that sort of thing anyway.
Re:Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears
by joe_the_user on Tuesday October 01, 2013 @03:30AM
(#6474723)
I first encountered GEB when my mother read it to me and my sister when we were my sister was nine and I was fourteen.
I assume GEB may be both informing and interest piquing for some people. For us, it just didn't ever get clear about what it was about and was mostly frustrating for that reason. Maybe none of us were "normal".
And I read it as a kid. I've picked it up recently, I have a degree in advanced math. I kind of like Hofstadter's take on AI. But I think GEB is just terrible. I mean, it has long, clever discussions that half-explain thing so I think it makes people feel like they sort of understand things. But have to say I think it gives the opposite of a solid math approach by never being fully clear, concise or complete.