Hofstadter returns to isomorphisms and questions their relation to meaning. He asks whether the symbol contains meaning or the mind. A record player is used as an example. The vinyl contains grooves which are “read” by a phonograph to produce sounds. In this example, the record player reveals information, but the record itself contains the information. Hofstadter asserts that meaning occurs when a formal system—the grooves on a record player—can be mapped to reveal real-world patterns.

Hofstadter uses several terms interchangeably, and their usage is important to the discussion of the nature of symbols. A symbol represents a coded message or a character. Humans attach meaning to symbols through decoding, or interpretation. Consciousness is the ability that enables humans to make meaning from meaningless parts.

Hofstadter reiterates his theory about formal systems: Human intelligence requires the ability to recognize a distinction between syntax—the formal structure composed of rules—and semantics—the meaning or interpretation of symbols. Unlike machine learning, finding meaning is a phenomenological act that has multiple levels. Human intelligence has a natural ability for identifying potential meaning, but Hofstadter proposes that finding meaning is a natural act: “Deciphering mechanisms are themselves universal—that is, they are fundamental forms of nature which arise in the same way in diverse contexts” (171).