Thoughtforms Life

Michael Levin, a renowned professor in developmental biology, explores fascinating intersections of behavioral science and bioelectricity. He discusses agential cells and goal-directed regeneration, revealing how living systems elegantly adapt. Levin showcases eye-building techniques via remote bioelectric signals and introduces innovative creatures like xenobots. He also touches on the ethical ramifications of interfacing with diverse intelligences, emphasizing the need for a responsible future in bioengineering. Expect mind-bending insights that redefine life and intelligence.

This is a ~54 minute conversation with Katrina Schleisman (https://www.galois.com/team/katrina-schleisman) and David Burke (https://www.galois.com/team/david-burke) about issues related to memory, Platonism, diverse intelligence, and similar topics. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Paper comments and impetus (01:38) Math-physics causal dualism (06:19) Unreasonable effectiveness and foundations (12:54) Active Platonic patterns learning (19:36) Verbs, affordances, pattern agency (29:04) Math gifts before evolution (35:43) Cognition, life, and idealism (43:21) Hidden messages and memory (47:42) Resonant patterns, chance, synchronicity PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5 Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin Blog: https://thoughtforms.life The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org

David Resnik, a philosopher and bioethics researcher affiliated with NIEHS, dives into the intriguing intersection of Platonism and biology. He and Michael Levin explore how mathematical structures underpin scientific explanations and shape evolutionary patterns. They discuss goal-directed morphogenesis, the limitations of chemistry-only perspectives, and the predictive power of mapping morphospace. Their conversation emphasizes the utility of Platonism in framing research strategies, while also pondering the broader implications for understanding life's complexities.

Elan Barenholtz, a cognitive scientist who studies vision, language, and computational models of mind, joins the conversation. He describes language as a self-generating informational structure. They explore virtual governors, minimal systems that reveal hidden computation, and whether language-like patterns arise across brains, AI, and other substrates.

Diana Moga, a psychiatrist focused on autism and ketamine therapy, joins clinical psychologist Alexey Tolchinsky and researcher Chris Fields for an enlightening discussion. They dive into how ketamine opens inner experiences for autistic patients, defining autism as a unique cognitive pattern shaped by trauma and social mismatch. The conversation explores the often underdiagnosed female phenotype, presents thirteen behavioral patterns observed in autism, and discusses the complexity of diagnosing within a neurotypical range, all while interlinking neuroscience with therapeutic approaches.

Nora Belrose, head of interpretability research at EleutherAI, explores AI sentience, moral relevance, and Platonic mindspace. They discuss sentience as irreversible learning, how intelligence can diverge from consciousness, the ethics of copies and simulations, and whether abstract patterns are static or dynamic. The conversation highlights the need for new tools to detect subtle agency in advanced systems.

This is a ~1 hour conversation between Alexey Tolchinsky (https://montgomerycountypsychologist.com/), a clinical psychologist and Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University, Center for Professional Psychology, and Thomas Pollak (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6171-0810), a neuropsychiatrist and researcher working at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. We discussed the implications of rejuvenation therapies for cognition and some strategies for upcoming experiments on Anthrobots. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Rejuvenation, memory, wisdom (14:07) Cancer and tissue resilience (20:17) Brainwashing, suggestion, belief (27:24) Placebo, xenobots, resilience (34:46) Patient anthrobot models (45:45) Psychiatric phenotypes in cells (52:24) Cryogenic reset and organoids PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5 Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin Blog: https://thoughtforms.life The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org

In this thought-provoking discussion, guests Karl Friston, a leading theoretical neuroscientist, Mark Solms, a neuropsychoanalyst, Thomas Pollak, a neuropsychiatrist, and Chris Fields, a cognition researcher, dive into the nuances of introspection. They explore the balance between fast subconscious metacognition and slower, deliberate reflection. Topics include the importance of emotional foundations in consciousness, the risks of AI therapy, and how modifying preferences can lead to therapeutic change. The conversation also touches on regenerative biology and the implications of psychedelics for enhancing cognitive flexibility.

In this insightful discussion, philosopher Alex Kiefer explores the concept of entropic motivation and its implications for agency. He delves into the interplay between mind and body, contrasting intrinsic motivation frameworks like empowerment with the limitations of AI's motivation. Kiefer also examines how entropy influences belief systems and agency over time scales, connecting these ideas to evolution and spontaneous action. His reflections on ethical considerations and the nuances of goal-seeking versus authentic motivation add depth to the conversation.

This is a ~45 minute talk for an embodied cognition audience, covering my framework for diverse intelligence, our use of morphogenesis as a model system for communicating with unconventional minds, and my views on our new MomBot platform and how it helps understand the symmetries between science and agency, and the novel group minds consisting of technology, living matter, and scientists themselves. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Framing Novel Beings (04:56) Developmental Mind Continuum (09:40) Memory Beyond Brains (15:08) Cells Navigating Morphospace (18:13) Cognitive Light Cones (22:38) Bioelectric Communication Interface (29:51) Xenobots and Anthrobots (35:45) MomBot Embodied AI (42:47) Applications and Ethical Futures PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5 Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin Blog: https://thoughtforms.life The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org