[comp.ai] "Godel, Escher, Bach ..." and "The Tao of Godhead"

bwk@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Barry W. Kort) (11/07/88)

In article <887@taurus.BITNET> <shani%TAURUS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> writes:

 > Hey Barry! I didn't know you believe in God! :-)

My favorite definition of God is the one appearing in Raymond
Smullyan's Socratic dialogue, "Is God a Taoist", found in his
charming book, _The Tao is Silent_, and reprinted in Hofstadter
and Dennett's _The Mind's I_.

Midway into a lengthy discussion between Mortal and God, Mortal
asks God for a definition of just what or who He really is.
God replies, "Perhaps the best definition that you mortals can
frame of me at this stage of your evolution is that I am 'the
very process of enlightenment'.  And what you refer to as the
Devil (and I wish you wouldn't) is the unfortunate length of
time the process takes."

--Barry Kort