# Strange loop | | A **Strange loop** is a cyclic structure that goes through several levels in a hierarchical system. It arises when, by moving only upwards or downwards through the system, one finds oneself back where one started. Strange loops may involve self-reference and paradox. The concept of a strange loop was proposed and extensively discussed by Douglas Hofstadter in Gödel, Escher, Bach, and is further elaborated in Hofstadter's book I Am a Strange Loop, published in 2007. | |-|-| | | wikipedia:: [Strange loop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_loop) | > [!summary]- Wikipedia Synopsis > A **Strange loop** is a cyclic structure that goes through several levels in a hierarchical system. It arises when, by moving only upwards or downwards through the system, one finds oneself back where one started. > > Strange loops may involve self-reference and paradox. The concept of a strange loop was proposed and extensively discussed by Douglas Hofstadter in Gödel, Escher, Bach, and is further elaborated in Hofstadter's book I Am a Strange Loop, published in 2007. > > A tangled hierarchy is a hierarchical consciousness system in which a strange loop appears. [[Douglas Hofstadter]]