Thoughtforms Life Discussion with Daniel McShea and Gunnar Babcock
Aug 2, 2024
Gunnar Babcock, artist-researcher exploring biology, cognition, and emergent systems, and Daniel McShea, evolutionary biologist and philosopher of biology, debate big ideas. They probe identity and immortal cell lines. They examine bioelectric fields, memory beyond synapses, small tissue transplants altering hosts, and how behavior generalizes as problem solving across scales.
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Bioelectric Fields Guide Tissue Form
- Bioelectric patterns act as tissue-level controllers beyond genes and proteins.
- These fields degrade with age and may underlie aging and regeneration failures.
Ancient Loops Scale Into Novel Problem Solving
- Evolution reuses simple feedback loops (measure, compare, correct) at many scales.
- High-level problem solving re-purposes those ancient loops for novel tasks quickly.
Lower Tolerance To Reveal Novel Development
- Reduce error-sensitivity experimentally to reveal hidden morphogenetic capabilities.
- Use anxiolytics or similar manipulations to decouple effort from error and observe novel outcomes.