"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter (1979)

By means of reason alone, hunger can be traced to a simple source. Complex emotions cannot be. Instead, one must vary a multitude of actions in order to identify each action's impact on the one-dimensional measure of one's well-being. When a simple reason for action is hard to articulate, one tends to favour inaction. This bias can be resisted by developing the habit of indulging into new experiences without a clear rationale.

Zen embraces the paradox as a means for preventing one from drawing conclusions from insufficient data. The circularity of a paradox tires one's mind, and nudges one to stop brooding and to start acting, collecting data. Some data are acknowledged and processed only subconsciously. (Sleep, exposure to beauty, nature, and art generate such data.) Zen reminds one not to overlook the tacit behind the articulable, and highlights the absurdity of the dichotomy between the mind and the body.

Even though sometimes knowledge can be gained by holding hands, holding hands is an inefficient way to transmit that knowledge to future generations. One should interpret and codify, thus preserving---the memories of---civilization.