http://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/2z8zm5/geb_discussion_1_introduction_a_musicological/
"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas R. Hofstadter is the most awesome book that I have ever read. If there is one book that emphasizes the tragedy of Death, it is this book, because it's terrible that so many people have died without reading it."
- Eliezer Yudkowsky
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is an excellent primer on subjects related to artificial intelligence, like self-reference, metamathematics, formal rules and cognitive science. Yudkowsky has said about the book that it's "the best and most beautiful book ever written by the human species." It was the book that Yudkowsky said launched his career in artificial intelligence and cognitive science.
That's why we decided to start a read-through of it in reddit.com/r/rational. If you have any interest in analyzing or discussing the book, join us!
But the preface is extensive and interesting, and contains his updated thoughts on several aspects of the book.
Is it worth buying a more recent edition for the preface?