EDITORS: For a backgrounder and/or more information, contact Lori Coleman at the Center for the Study of Complex Systems, (734) 763-3301, lcoleman@umich.edu.

ANN ARBOR—Douglas Hofstadter, cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the legendary “Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid,” will give a public lecture at the University of Michigan on
Hofstadter’s talk is aimed at a lay audience. He says, “When I was a graduate student in physics many years ago, I could not help but be struck by the marvelous frequency with which wild guesses, each based on nothing but an intuitively ‘sniffed’ likeness to some known physical phenomenon, panned out and resulted in gigantic new advances in physics. Good physicists are thinkers-by-analogy par excellence—hardly the standard image of what being a physicist and doing research in physics is all about.”

Hofstadter is College Professor of Computer Science and Cognitive Science, director of the Center for Research on Concepts and Cognition, and adjunct professor of philosophy, psychology, comparative literature, and the history and philosophy of science at Indiana University. “Godel, Escher, Bach” became a best seller when it was published in 1979, and many readers say it marked a turning point in their lives. It has had considerable impact on people in disciplines ranging from philosophy and music to mathematics and artificial intelligence. Hofstadter’s current research involves designing and implementing computer models of high-level perception and analogical thought.

His lecture here April 13 is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the talk. Parking permits will be available for pickup on a first-come first-served basis.

For more information, call (734) 763-3301.

Center for the Study of Complex SystemsDouglas HofstadterCenter for Research on Concepts and Cognition