Episodes

  • "Energy Constraints and Tradeoffs" by Martin Picard
    Jun 27 2026

    This is a ~57 minute talk titled "Energy Constraints and Tradeoffs: the mitochondrial daily energy expenditure MDEE study" by Martin Picard (https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/martin-picard-phd) and a brief set of ideas by me at the end, presaging a full discussion of this for our next meeting.

    I mentioned these 2 papers:

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303264722001435

    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.201900245

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) Mitochondria energy tradeoffs

    (52:14) Scarcity coordinates biology

    (54:44) Anthrobot aging evidence

    (56:31) Follow-up ideas

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    57 mins
  • "Aging, goal-directedness, and bioelectricity" by Michael Levin
    Jun 26 2026

    This is ~23 minute talk overviewing our recent results and the way we think about aging and longevity. It was for a conference with quite short speaking slots so I had to talk fast... Longer talk coming with more data but this outlines some ideas and overviews our published recent work on aging.

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) Aging framework overview

    (01:16) Bodies as setpoints

    (03:08) Anatomical homeostasis examples

    (06:40) Bioelectric pattern memory

    (08:41) Rewriting biological setpoints

    (12:31) Aging bioelectric fuzziness

    (14:18) Sharpening brain patterns

    (17:34) Cognitive aging hypothesis

    (19:42) Atavistic tissue dissociation

    (22:21) Species longevity questions

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    23 mins
  • Computationalism and consciousness with Nic Rouleau, Jaan Aru, and Borjan Milinkovic.
    Jun 22 2026

    Discussion #2 (57 minutes on computationalism and consciousness) with Borjan Milinkovic (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AwaZbzsAAAAJ&hl=en), Jaan Aru (https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=FvFOzS8AAAAJ&hl=en%29), and Nicolas Rouleau (https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=FyOpVTAAAAAJ&hl=en).

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) AI consciousness middle ground

    (04:46) Substrate dependent minds

    (08:07) Analog computer substrates

    (13:44) Zombies and digital computers

    (18:56) Polycomputing and observers

    (25:01) Felt experience defined

    (30:08) Action first embodiment

    (34:08) Causal emergence and memory

    (42:36) Self versus environment

    (46:47) Cognitive light cones

    (51:44) Boundary gradients and observers

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    57 mins
  • Free Lunches: Model Systems for Studying the Agential Gifts from the Platonic Space by Michael Levin
    Jun 20 2026

    This is a talk I gave, ~49 minutes long, titled "Free Lunches: Model Systems for Studying the Agential Gifts from the Platonic Space", to a philosophy audience. It covers some more ways I think about the latent space of patterns that in-forms biology and cognitive science.

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:02) Research program overview

    (05:15) Dissolving old categories

    (10:54) Goal-directed morphogenesis basics

    (14:11) Rewriting bioelectric patterns

    (19:23) Novel embodied abilities

    (23:35) Molecular agency ratchet

    (27:33) Math and living forms

    (33:31) Evolutionary accounting breaks

    (41:04) High agency patterns

    (47:01) Diverse intelligence future

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    50 mins
  • Platonic Space discussion 5
    May 29 2026

    This is a ~2 hour discussion among contributors to the Platonic Space Symposium (

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) Strong perception framework

    (10:12) Perception model boundaries

    (17:41) Penrose and probabilities

    (30:57) Quantum interpretations debated

    (39:28) Probability dynamics and gravity

    (53:50) Relational observer problem

    (01:00:30) Dance synchronization physics

    (01:12:02) Rituals and group flow

    (01:23:43) Boundaries and agency

    (01:31:38) Religious possibility spaces

    (01:46:30) Numbers in theology

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    1 hr and 59 mins
  • Platonic Space discussion 4
    May 25 2026

    This is a ~2 hours 4 minute discussion among contributors to the Platonic Space Symposium (

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) Strong anticipation analogy

    (08:16) Relational Platonic patterns

    (25:06) Finite brains, infinite grammar

    (40:05) Beauty and compression

    (51:17) Searching for grammar

    (01:01:58) Patterns and selfhood

    (01:14:44) Patterns claiming territory

    (01:29:28) Markets shape selves

    (01:43:57) Scaling collective selves

    (01:55:47) Testing Platonic feedback

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    2 hrs and 5 mins
  • Discussion #1 with Amahury Jafet Lopez Diaz, Carlos Gershenson-Garcia, and Richard Watson
    May 19 2026

    This is a ~1 hour 5 minute discussion with Amahury Jafet Lopez Diaz ( Carlos Gershenson-Garcia ( and Richard Watson ( Stay tuned for part 2 where Amahury will present his ideas in more detail. Amahury's paper:

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:00) Common ground and stakes

    (06:10) Ontology of platonic space

    (14:50) Testing separate realms

    (25:52) Acid tests and metaphors

    (34:55) Interaction and narratives

    (44:20) Formal facts alternative

    (52:38) Experiments and surprise

    (01:00:29) Closing reframing proposal

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • A Multiscale Logic of Collective Intelligence" by Donald Hoffman and Chetan Prakash
    Apr 11 2026

    This is a ~1.5 hour talk + discussion, titled "A Multiscale Logic of Collective Intelligence" by Donald Hoffman ( and Chetan Prakash ( with Robert Chis-Ciure ( and Chris Fields ( and me.

    CHAPTERS:

    (00:01) Beyond space-time physics

    (10:10) Minimal observer participants

    (18:49) Recursive trace logic

    (35:08) Actions and trace blankets

    (43:45) Physics and agency together

    (52:32) Causal emergence and joins

    (59:52) Contextuality and quantum logic

    (01:06:00) Unitarity and positive geometries

    (01:16:29) Consciousness-first mind theories

    (01:24:39) Testing models together

    PRODUCED BY:

    https://aipodcast.ing

    SOCIAL LINKS:

    Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5

    Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

    Blog: https://thoughtforms.life

    The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org


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    1 hr and 30 mins