Thoughtforms Life Conversation of Michael Levin with Iain McGilchrist
Mar 4, 2025
Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist and philosopher renowned for his work on the brain's lateralization, joins Michael Levin for a thought-provoking discussion. They explore the notion of intelligence permeating the cosmos and delve into panpsychism. Their conversation spans the fascinating intersection of biology and philosophy, including rapid adaptations of planaria and the implications of cellular decision-making. They also ponder the creativity constraints of the mind, Turing-like mechanisms in pattern formation, and the ethics surrounding emerging synthetic minds.
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Nested Minds Across Scales
- Intelligence pervades matter in nested hierarchies; parts and wholes both possess minds without an addition problem.
- Michael Levin and Iain McGilchrist argue for overlapping minds across scales rather than a single emergent mind.
Solutions Attract Agents
- Solutions can ‘attract’ agents as much as agents search for solutions, producing synchronicity at molecular to cognitive scales.
- Levin proposes formal models where binding partners or ideas reach out, shortening search times across levels.
Eyes Reappear Without The Gene
- Iain McGilchrist cites eyeless Drosophila regaining eyes after generations without the gene as evidence of strong morphological pull.
- He highlights multiple independent evolutions of eyes as suggesting persistent forms or attractors.
