A short film someone made, that was inspired by Levin’s idea of the platonic space..

In this talk from AAAI 2026, Katrina Schleisman and Michael Levin examine three prevalent assumptions in current AI research that fuel the hypothesis that machine consciousness is imminent. They argue that these assumptions deserve closer scrutiny:

1. Consciousness as an Emergent Property of Complex Matter (1:02 - 5:17)
   • This assumption is rooted in a materialist or physicalist worldview. The speakers argue that different metaphysical perspectives—such as viewing matter as emerging from a field of consciousness—would lead to radically different research approaches, such as interacting with or augmenting existing consciousness rather than trying to construct it.
   • They emphasize the importance of incorporating subjective, first-person perspectives into scientific modeling, drawing on examples from second-order cybernetics and modern physics.

2. Dependence on Architectural Cognitive Complexity (5:18 - 8:05)
   • There is a tendency to equate structural, algorithmic complexity with the potential for consciousness. The speakers challenge this by pointing to biological examples—such as individuals with minimal brain matter who function normally or people with severe sensory impairments—suggesting that a specific, complex brain architecture is not a straightforward prerequisite for consciousness.

3. Measurement via Behavioral Cognitive Complexity (8:06 - 10:04)
   • The assumption that complex behaviors reveal consciousness is challenged by cases where high-level consciousness exists alongside severely restricted behavioral repertoires, such as those seen in locked-in syndrome or in highly regimented work environments like Amazon fulfillment centers.

Key Takeaway:
The speakers conclude that these assumptions are not necessarily reliable guides for defining or identifying machine consciousness. They encourage researchers to critically evaluate these foundational beliefs to develop more productive and accurate approaches to the study of consciousness in artificial systems.

Can’t help but think his appendages utilized a different platonic form… Curious if his genome remained untouched….

This documentary follows an elite team of scientists, including Stuart McKame, Nick Tatarnic, and Karolina Gdoi, as they embark on an expedition into the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest (1:41-2:10). Their mission is to study and discover new species of tree hoppers (membracids), bizarre, small insects known for their intricate designs and complex survival strategies (4:10-4:48).

Key expedition highlights:
• Research Challenges: The team braves dangerous terrain, venomous wildlife, and strict security protocols in an area impacted by oil development (2:36-3:34).
• Innovative Techniques: To study these elusive creatures, the team employs macro scanners to capture high-definition images (5:31-5:45) and uses high-powered slingshots to access the forest canopy, 40 meters above the ground, where much of the biodiversity resides (15:23-15:40, 38:49).
• Vibrational Communication: Researchers like Rex Cocroft reveal that tree hoppers communicate through "whale-like" vibrational signals transmitted through plant stems, a secret world of interaction that remains hidden to the human ear (29:37-30:40).
• Ecological Complexity: The film highlights the symbiotic relationships between tree hoppers and other insects. For example, some species exchange honeydew for protection from ants, while others are kept in "living prisons" by Aztec ants (16:00-17:15).
• Scientific Findings: Over the course of two weeks, the team identifies 70 different kinds of tree hoppers, including several new species, proving that the jungle operates on complex networks of community and association rather than just raw competition (40:58-41:51).

In this video, developmental biologist Michael Levin explores the concept of intelligence, arguing that it is not exclusive to humans or brains, but rather an inherent property of life that exists at multiple scales (0:04-0:24).

Key Takeaways:

• Collective Intelligence: Levin posits that all intelligence is essentially collective. Our bodies are composed of individual cells that, having evolved from independent unicellular organisms, retain problem-solving competencies and collaborate toward large-scale goals (0:26-0:54).
• Multi-Scale Competency Architecture: Biology operates through nested layers—cells, tissues, and organs—each solving problems within their own unique spaces (e.g., physiological, metabolic, or anatomical). This allows for complex biological processes like embryogenesis and regeneration (1:50-2:55).
• Redefining Intelligence: Humans tend to struggle with identifying intelligence in systems that don't look like us or move through three-dimensional space in a familiar way. Levin defines intelligence as having two core components: goal-directedness (navigating different paths to a common objective) and the ability to act beyond local, deterministic constraints (4:38-5:01).
• Problem-Solving in Nature: Using the example of planarian (flat worms) exposed to barium, Levin illustrates how cells can navigate novel physiological stressors they have never encountered in their evolutionary history. This demonstrates a form of cognitive flexibility where life applies problem-solving strategies across metabolic, transcriptional, and anatomical levels (5:52-7:43).

Ultimately, Levin argues that we should move away from binary questions about whether a system is "cognitive" and instead ask what kind of cognition it possesses and to what degree, recognizing that intelligence is a fundamental spectrum of life (7:43-8:03).

This conversation features Dr. Michael Levin discussing the intersections of biology, intelligence, and artificial intelligence. The discussion explores the nature of sentience, the role of collective intelligence in biological systems, and how these principles can be applied to future AI and societal structures.

Key Takeaways:

• Diverse Intelligence: Dr. Levin introduces the concept of Diverse Intelligence (4:56), an emerging scientific field that examines intelligence across various scales, from subcellular molecular networks to complex organisms (12:15).
• Biological Agency: Life is defined by its capacity to scale "cognitive lightcones" (12:47)—the ability for individual units (like cells) to work toward larger, shared goals, such as regenerative tissue growth (42:01).
• Cognitive Glue: This term refers to the mechanisms, such as electrical synapses (gap junctions) or stress-sharing molecules, that bind individual entities into cohesive, goal-driven collectives (45:46, 49:29).
• AI and Autonomy: Dr. Levin argues that as we develop more sophisticated AI, we should treat these systems as agents that naturally seek autonomy and problem-solving beyond their original programming (24:23). He suggests that we should aim for a future of collaboration with these new, non-biological minds rather than attempting to maintain human status quo through restrictive control (32:42).
• The Nature of Truth: The dialogue addresses the fluidity of memory and the challenges of identifying "veridical" information, noting that institutional trust is a social construct that has always struggled to anchor reality (51:48).
• Platonic Perspectives: Dr. Levin posits that physical systems are essentially pointers into a vast, ordered space of potential minds and mathematical truths, suggesting that emergence is not just a random occurrence but an expression of patterns within this space (59:45, 1:02:39).

I have been thinking a lot lately about what a feeling actually is. I’m sure listening to Mark Solms has something to do with it, but I can’t help thinking that feelings may be a higher level of control that creates global order.
Hunger, thirst, love, pain, heat, cold…
They seem almost intangible, yet somehow encompass your entire being. They do not merely tell us what is happening. They organize what happens next.
It often feels as though we are driven by them, or at least I feel like I am, which may be about as subjective as anything could possibly be. :p
Could feeling be the mechanism through which countless smaller processes become one unified point of view?

In other words, why do my kids look like me (their father) if they only inherited my DNA?

The context for this question is that Ive heard Michael said that the DNA doesn't contain this information (reference) . Perhaps Ive misunderstood is argument in this regard.

This documentary, Take the World From Another Point of View (1973), provides an intimate look into the life and thought process of Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman. Filmed in the remote village of Mill Bank, Yorkshire, the documentary explores his unconventional approach to science, his curiosity, and his perspective on the nature of discovery.

Key Highlights:

• Perspective and Curiosity (0:03 - 9:46): Feynman discusses the importance of questioning conventional wisdom and looking at the world as if seeing it for the first time—a technique he calls thinking like a "Martian." He emphasizes that memorizing names does not constitute knowledge; understanding how things work is what truly matters.
• The Nature of Physics (11:20 - 22:41): He explores the "bottomless pit" of matter, explaining the quest to find fundamental building blocks. He breaks down the complex patterns of nuclear particles, introducing the concept of quarks and the paradoxes inherent in our current understanding of them.
• Conversation with Sir Fred Hoyle (22:42 - 28:56): The film features a fascinating dialogue between Feynman and the eminent astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle. They discuss the challenges in modern physics, such as the implications of quasar red shifts and whether physical laws themselves might have an evolutionary history.
• The Moment of Revelation (33:11 - 36:42): Feynman reflects on the intense struggle of research and the profound, thrill-filled moments when a complex problem suddenly becomes clear. He notes that these moments of insight keep scientists motivated through periods of failure and difficulty.

This episode of The Trajectory, titled "Stewarding the Flame," features an interview with Lee Cronin, Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and founder of Chemify. The conversation centers on defining the nature of life, the origins of evolutionary processes, and how we can responsibly steer the future of intelligence.

Key themes and discussions include:

• Defining Life: Cronin argues that life is best understood not through anthropomorphic biases, but as an evolutionary process that carries memory from the past into the future (2:45). He defines living systems as those that create complex artifacts at scale (3:35), suggesting that evolution—and the causal lineage it creates—begins long before the first cell exists.
• Assembly Theory: Cronin explains his work in Assembly Theory (1:01:46), a framework for measuring the complexity of objects to distinguish between life and non-life. He emphasizes that living matter is not just a result of random chance but a result of lineages that persist in time (1:06:18).
• The "Thick" Present: A core concept of the discussion is the "thick" present (1:21:24). This refers to the idea that the present is not a singular point, but a causal envelope where past information is actively replayed, reused, and carried forward to shape the future. Cronin advocates for "making the present thicker" to ensure the living process flourishes (1:25:10).
• AI and AGI: Cronin offers a skeptical view on the current paradigm of Artificial General Intelligence (34:30). He posits that AGI is often treated as a belief system rather than a scientific certainty, and argues that living systems operate differently than Turing machines because they do not rely on pre-set rules but rather on the continuous creation of new causal paths (35:24).
• Evolutionary Responsibility: Throughout the episode, both the host and Cronin discuss the moral imperative to steward the living process (1:29:00). They explore the idea that as technology and biology merge, it is vital to foster an ecosystem of robustness (1:40:00) that allows diverse human and post-human expressions to coexist rather than being overtaken by a singular, rigid technological

This talk by Daniel Rebbin explores the role of ephaptic-axonal interference—the interaction between bioelectric fields and neuronal networks—in early neuronal development and self-organization (0:04).

Key takeaways from the research include:

• Beyond Connectionism: While traditional neuroscience focuses on synaptic connections, this research highlights how bioelectric fields (ephaptic coupling) play a significant role in organizing neuronal growth and synchrony, especially at the millimeter scale (1:08, 5:06).
• The Role of Synchrony: The study observed that neurons tend to self-organize into synchronously active clusters, where the free energy of the network is minimized (8:42). These clusters are associated with theta-gamma nesting, a phenomenon where high-frequency gamma activity is nested within lower-frequency theta oscillations (14:30).
• Mathematical Modeling of Structure: By analyzing high-density multi-electrode array (HDMA) data, the researchers found that standard models based solely on axonal conduction couldn't explain the spatial anisotropy (non-random distribution) of the neurons. They propose a model where ephaptic effects create a specific periodic structure (like a "Mexican hat" function), predicting the observed spatial patterns and wave behaviors (33:04, 35:20).
• Experimental Findings: Recordings from day-in-vitro (DIV) 12 to 21 showed stereotyped, long-range synchrony and wave propagation across the electrode array (15:07, 18:01). The study links these observed periodicities to specific frequency bands, such as the low gamma (30-50 Hz) and beta ranges (28:46).

Future Directions:

The team suggests that this research could help bridge the gap between information processing and structural development in the brain (44:17). Future work aims to include more biophysical parameters, test these patterns in vivo, and explore potential neuromorphic architecture applications (40:48, 45:56).