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The Dissenter

#1054 Kathryn Nave - A Drive to Survive: The Free Energy Principle and the Meaning of Life

Feb 3, 2025
Kathryn Nave, an early career research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, dives deep into autonomy and agency in living systems. The discussion kicks off with enactivism, reinterpreting cognition as active engagement rather than mere thought. Nave explains the Free Energy Principle, linking energy, goals, and survival in living beings. She also contrasts living agents with machines, highlighting goal-directed behaviors even in simple organisms. Ultimately, the conversation uncovers complex interactions between perception, action, and the environment.
01:18:09

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Quick takeaways

  • Inactivism emphasizes cognition as a biological process reliant on sensory-motor coordination rather than mere representation of reality.
  • The broad conceptualization of intentionality reflects living systems' intrinsic drives, showcasing goal-directed behavior intrinsic to their biological makeup.

Deep dives

Understanding Inactivism

Inactivism is presented as a philosophical approach originating from the book 'The Embodied Mind'. It emphasizes that cognition should not merely be viewed as a process of accurately representing a mind-independent world; instead, it focuses on coping with the environment through skilled sensory-motor coordination. This view contrasts with traditional cognitivist approaches, which often rely on representational frameworks. Inactivism also highlights the biological nature of cognition, suggesting that cognitive processes arise from living systems and evolve as a consequence of these systems' development.

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