- Here's my good old friend fourteen's response copied from CND forum:
Interesting read, and it is such a heart-breaking reminder of the german-austrian brilliance that had been destroyed by history (Nazis+ U.S). Isn't she brilliant?
It seems that the good old Viennese school is unhappy about the “cheesy” American rendition of its most brilliant intellectual accomplishment, so much so she did not even bother to describe the “awfulness” they detest (Hofstadter), maybe she felt it is not worthy. It is then up to the readers to find out why Hofstadter is wrong or inferior. How should we know? It is so not fair . I guess her old fashioned Viennese “hauteur” requires a little “getting used to”. (Hofstadter is not a philosopher after all).
The good thing is that she did not attack Hofstadter on his math side. So it seems that Hofstadter is not misrepresenting Godel’s proof itself: he is not an "inexpert" after all.
In regard to the significance and the anecdotes, that is really up to the readers
One should also listen to the unfriendly voice from computer scientists that it was Turing, not Godel, who had truly reached the 'ontological and epistemological' truth. Well, VHD, as pretty as she is, not a computer scientist after all. (Turf war, my friend )
gadfly