The Strange Loops of Consciousness in Sufi Mysticism.

Abstract

This paper applies the "Strange Loops" framework for understanding consciousness to the mystical Sufi domain. It examines the concept of “strange loops” and its impact on the emergence of consciousness, drawing on Douglas Hofstadter’s strange loops hypothesis and Kurt Gödel’s incompleteness theorems. It starts by probing the varied and often differing definitions of consciousness across disciplines, emphasizing the need for a more fundamental yet inclusive definition as a basis for further analysis. Once such a definition is developed, the paper presents a set of introductory concepts including self-referential loops, incompleteness, projection, uncomputability, recursive functions, and complexity theory, based on mathematical logic and systems theory. These are combined into a comprehensible theoretical background for comprehending consciousness as an evolving and self-referential process. This framework is then applied to the mystical philosophy of Sufism, focusing specifically on the works of Ibn Arabi and Jalal al-Din Rumi. The paper concludes by sketching parallels between Hofstadter’s “strange loop” model and Sufi concepts of selfhood, oneness, and consciousness, revealing a salient combination between scientific and spiritual methods in understanding consciousness. This should open a cross-disciplinary discourse that links cognitive science and spirituality.