The Hidden Non-Physical Patterns Animating Life & The Universe | Dr. Michael Levin

Michael Levin's reality-bending biological discoveries are forcing him to look to a non-physical realm of patterns—discussed by philosophers like Plato—for explanations.

In this podcast, we explore why philosophers posit a non-physical realm, how biology taps into it, the mathematics governing life, the creation of artificial organisms, the desires of non-physical minds, the shape and properties of realms beyond the physical, the agency in non-physical patterns, and much more…

Timestamps:

00:00 The Platonic Realm of Patterns

03:02 Biology’s Access to Non-Physical Patterns

09:31 Non-Physical Ingressing Minds

14:00 The Space of Possible Minds

18:35 Unexpected Competencies in Dumb Algorithms

24:00 Anthrobots & Strange Biology

28:38 Why is Platonic Space the way it is?

32:06 Are Unorthodox Morphologies Subjectively Desirable?

35:23 The Agency of Non-Physical Patterns

37:50 The Intersection of Science and Cosmology

41:56 Dynamic Nature of Non-Physical Patterns

43:19 Psychological Perspectives on Identity and Agency

48:33 Strange Discoveries in Biology

50:36 Shifting Beliefs and Understanding of Intelligence

JACK

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DGVMa1qAI1huc87xNDrgy?si=62c281d9e8274694

• X: https://twitter.com/jack_roycroft

• Substack: https://substack.com/@jackroycroftsherry?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

MICHAEL

• Blog: https://thoughtforms.life/

• Platonic space symposium: https://thoughtforms.life/symposium-on-the-platonic-space/

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

REFERENCED PODCASTS

• The structure of genotype space w/Andreas Wagner: https://youtu.be/BhUaeh6DyO0

• God & Patterns in the Universe w/Matt Segall: https://youtu.be/RIl4paND5QI

• Intelligence beyond brains w/Damiam Kelty-Stephen: https://youtu.be/X9FmMuU2HCw