>[!abstract] >A strange loop is a self-referential structure in which a system, by moving through hierarchical levels, unexpectedly returns to its starting point, creating a loop that blurs distinctions between levels. Popularized by Douglas Hofstadter, the concept is used to explain phenomena such as consciousness, selfhood, and meaning, where a system both contains and refers to itself. Strange loops arise in logic (Gödel’s incompleteness theorems), art (Escher), and music (Bach), illustrating how self-reference can generate complexity, paradox, and emergent identity from formal rules. >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): — >- **West** (similar): — >- **East** (different): — >- **South** (downstream): —