Forms of life, forms of mind

9 responses to “A talk on the architecture of life”

1. 

   Zkzk

   January 30, 2025

   Thank you 🙂

   Reply
2. 

   Benjamin L

   January 30, 2025

   On the subject of ingress and Platonic spaces, some of the ideas there feel like they’re in tension with other ideas about polycomputation and non-stored memories. Why would mathematical rules and other Platonic concepts just be waiting somewhere in the form that they have when properties in our world never are?

   But for an incredibly vague idea of where the ingress comes from, and what it might mean to explore that space, check out my essay on getting something from everything: https://interestingessays.substack.com/p/why-is-there-something-rather-than

   Reply
   1. 

      Mike Levin

      February 1, 2025

      You are right that there is some tension here, I’m working on that. I think it’s ok that there are forms hanging out in ways that are totally different than what happens in the physical world, that doesn’t bother me, but the observer-relative aspect of polycomputing isn’t immediately compatible, it needs some work. Thanks for the link – looks like a very interesting post.

      Reply
      1. 

         Benjamin L

         February 11, 2025

         See here for some connections to dynamic systems theory: https://interestingessays.substack.com/p/pointers-as-generalizations-of-talk

         Reply
3. 

   Micah Zoltu

   January 30, 2025

   I wonder if it is possible to have an AI watch all of your videos and give a diff of this video compared to previous. I have watched almost every presentation you have given, but at this point I could probably give most of it myself and I feel like I should spend my time doing something else besides watching the latest, yet I worry I’ll miss some new little nugget that you included in this one but not previous ones.

   🤔

   Reply
   1. 

      Mike Levin

      January 30, 2025

      I have a few different talks – focused on biomedicine, evolution, bioengineering, genetics, computation, diverse intelligence, or consciousness. They have a bit of overlap of some data, but overall tell quite distinct stories. Within each category, it’s true that sometimes the talks are minor tweaks of prior ones (I’m always trying to improve the graphics and the explanations between the slides of the whole story, to make sense to people of different backgrounds). But sometimes significant things get added. For example, the recent talks (like the one on computation at UNAM, the one for the consciousness meeting in Cancun, and the one for the Wolfram Institute) all have a significantly new part (the last third or so) on Platonic space and patterns and such which I have not talked about prior to a month or so ago.

      Reply
4. 

   Brian Shepard

   January 30, 2025

   Such an impressive presentation. Your focus and passion comes through. Amazing slides!

   Reply
5. 

   Elisabeth

   January 30, 2025

   Thank you Michael and team – I have written before about my experience in a new cognitive space while under the influence of DMT.
   Terrace McKenna’s last interview was very good at predicting the very things you are studying.
   His brother is still alive and a respected chemist.
   He ( Terrance) also explored the cognitive realms engaged when using DMT – my point is, there lies a way of exploring the very nature of our nature within the consciousness of our own minds/bodies that are filled not only with incredible patterns but also creatures that literally live within those spaces…. before you die Michael I implore you to take the journey into this realm…just for the fun of it ….mind blowing doesn’t even begin to describe that space.
   I live near your friend Dr Iain McGilchrist on Skye come visit!

   Reply
6. 

   Fredric Schiffer, MD

   February 2, 2025

   Hi Michael, I’ve followed your work for about 15 years and, of course, it is brilliant. Thank you. I am a psychiatrist at Harvard at McLean doing research and have a private practice. I have a theory of psychology that comes out of the split brain studies and have found that in typical people there are two minds each associated with each hemisphere. One is often more affected by past traumas and the other healthier. I have 2 books on Amazon and about 25 papers on this. My feeling is that first comes life, then subjective experience. Living things seem to be compelled to try to keep living. Life doesn’t seem to have morality or care whether humans or cockroaches survive. Suicide and disease from failure show that life can be unbearably cruel as well as delightful and fulfilling. Your point on aging being related to boredom is interesting. From life comes subjective experience. I have some papers on subjective experience and life being possibly related to undiscovered quantum fields, which I believe could eventually be discovered. If you’re interested, I would love to meet.

   Reply