strange loop

[ streynj loop ]

noun

1. Logic, Mathematics. a phenomenon created by the presence of self-referential statements in a complex logical or mathematical system, which renders the system incapable of proving all of the true statements it produces.
2. a speculative model of how the self emerges as the source of thought, operating seemingly in a closed loop of its own mental representations of reality, while at the same time, paradoxically, being grounded in and generated from a purely physical loop of neurons and stimuli.

Word History and Origins

Origin of strange loop¹

First recorded in 1960–65 as a phenomenon in physics

Example Sentences

The production, directed by Stephen Brackett, who was nominated for a Tony for his staging of “A Strange Loop,” features an egg-like object on Arnulfo Maldonado’s set.

From Los Angeles Times

But Gretchen is stuck in a strange loop, unable to escape this place and becoming increasingly battered in the process.

From Los Angeles Times

A conversation with Michael R. Jackson, whose Tony-winning musical “A Strange Loop” is having its Los Angeles premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre.

From Los Angeles Times

A conversation with Michael R. Jackson, whose Tony-winning musical “A Strange Loop” is having its Los Angeles premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre.

From Los Angeles Times

Not even after the astounding success he had with “A Strange Loop,” his Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning musical that opens at the Ahmanson Theatre on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times