You have to start from physics & chemistry
This is the view of scientific materialism. Scientific materialism - a view - comes into irreconcilable (I think) problems even within quantum physics, never mind philosophy. It is also a view that you have to start from the small and build up. This view also has problems.
Thank you for bringing my attention to these books. I notice that the first two reviews on goodreads for "I am a strange loop" go to lengths to disagree with the message. Indeed one reviewer says
I did not find that Hofstadter compellingly demonstrates that this strange loop is the entirety of consciousness
I won't put more weight on a reviewer than an author, but I do find the reviews interesting.
I have not yet looked up Blackmore's book.
I am also not claiming we do not pattern match. I am saying there is very compelling literature that says we do more.
But maybe I'm entirely wrong.