Agents of Everything with James Tripp

Is Everything Agential?

11 snips
Oct 5, 2025
Join a thought-provoking journey into the concept of agency in living matter. Explore the distinctions between adaptive and adapted behaviors, and discover how collective intelligence operates through us. Delve into Michael Levin's groundbreaking research on xenobots and the idea that all biological materials exhibit goal-directed behavior. Uncover the implications of coherence in both biology and psychology, and ponder the interplay between individuality and collective systems. Finally, consider whether our understanding of life has a teleological aspect, hinting at the animistic roots of human consciousness.
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INSIGHT

Adapted Versus Adaptive

  • Adapted means fitted to an environment while adaptive means able to transform when it changes.
  • James Tripp emphasizes we need both adaptation and adaptiveness to act effectively in life.
INSIGHT

Intelligence Exists At Multiple Scales

  • Michael Levin proposes biological materials are agental, meaning intelligence is present at many levels of life.
  • Tripp highlights this implies our individual intelligence emerges from coherent sub-intelligences all the way down.
ANECDOTE

Xenobots And Anthrobots Repair And Replicate

  • Michael Levin's team created xenobots and anthrobots from frog and human tissue that form new bodies and pursue goals.
  • Tripp recounts these organisms repair neurons and even build copies given the right materials.
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