strange loop

American  

[streynj loop] / ˈstreɪndʒ ˈlup /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of strange loop

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

In “A Strange Loop,” he confronts the issue head-on by focusing on a musical theater writer who’s trying to create a show that reflects his own unsentimental reality.

From Los Angeles Times