Part 3/12:
This recursive nature of self-reference cultivates self-awareness, leading to the emergence of the “I” or self. Hofstadter draws a connection to Gödel's incompleteness theorem, where formal systems demonstrate intrinsic limitations and contain statements that are true but unprovable. He theorizes that our brain's neural network mirrors this complexity, generating self-referential thoughts akin to Gödel sentences, thereby producing self-awareness.
Despite its compelling nature, some critiques arise concerning the empirical testability of Hofstadter's ideas and their inadequacy in addressing qualitative aspects of conscious experience, known as qualia.