Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal Earth Holds The Key To Alien Life | Sara Walker
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Mar 15, 2024 
Sara Walker, a Professor of Astrobiology at Arizona State University, sheds light on assembly theory as a pivotal lens for understanding life and consciousness. She argues that instead of searching the cosmos, we should delve deeper into Earth's chemical processes to find insights into alien life. The conversation touches upon the evolution of complex systems, the philosophical implications of consciousness, and how our understanding of life can reshape notions of intelligence and reality. Walker's fresh perspective prompts a rethinking of what it means to be alive.
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Vastness of Combinatorial Space
- Combinatorial space is vast, exceeding even physical space.
- Earth's chemical space, accessible through chemists and AI, offers unique opportunities to explore this vastness, potentially revealing "alien" possibilities.
Information's Causal Role
- Information plays a crucial causal role in the existence of complex molecules like DNA and proteins.
- They are products of selection and evolution, not spontaneous formations, similar to how satellites require intelligent design and knowledge of physics.
Minds as Temporally Extended Objects
- Minds, like brains, don't spontaneously appear; they're assembled over time through evolutionary processes.
- Each step in this construction requires time, making a mind a temporally extended object, a product of selection across vast timescales.