a. natasha joukovsky
extracts blog
After Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, where he tracks allusions to whales and cetology, I keep a running list of references to recursion, innovation, mythology, and glamour.
Michael Corballis | THE RECURSIVE MIND
"Recursion...is the primary characteristic that distinguishes the human mind from that of other animals. It underlies our ability not only to reflect upon our own minds, but also to simulate the minds of others..."
“Recursion...is the primary characteristic that distinguishes the human mind from that of other animals. It underlies our ability not only to reflect upon our own minds, but also to simulate the minds of others. It allows us to travel mentally in time, inserting consciousness of the past or future into present consciousness. Recursion is also the main ingredient distinguishing human language from all other forms of animal communication...
First, then, a not-too-serious dictionary definition:
Recursion (rĭ-kûr’-zhən) noun. See recursion.
One problem here, of course, is that this implies an infinite loop, from which you may never escape in order to read the other stuff in this book. The following variant suggests a way out:
Recursion (rĭ-kûr’-zhən) noun. If you still don’t get it, see recursion.
This banks on the possibility that if you do get it after a round or two, you can escape and move on. If you don’t, well I’m sorry. ”