The science and philosophical implications of bioelectric fields

I'd love to pull in one or two other people in to this discussion @nbtruthman @sbu because if I am making a mistake here I'd like to find out. I mean when electrons are conceived as excitations of a matter field, that surely removes their individuality completely - the field simply contains N excitations!

David

We should probably make another thread for this, since it's not exactly related to Levin's work given he isn't even proposing Panpyschism.

As per my last post he is arguably proposing a kind of Platonic Dualism

Evolution News put out an article discussing this paper - Ingressing Minds: Causal Patterns Beyond Genetics and Environment in Natural, Synthetic, and Hybrid Embodiments - that is currently a preprint authored [by] Levin:

Biologist Michael Levin: A Farewell to Physicalism

Daniel Witt

Dr. Michael Levin and Dr. Matt Segall enter the mind meld!

Dr. Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University where he’s the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor. His groundbreaking research on bioelectricity, morphogenesis, and cognition is reshaping our understanding of how living systems self-organize and regenerate. His work explores how cells and tissues communicate through bioelectrical signals, guiding the formation of complex structures without relying solely on genetic instructions. His work suggests that biological development is not purely mechanical but follows invisible organizational principles, akin to the Platonic Forms. By demonstrating how bioelectrical fields encode structural information beyond genetic determinism, Levin’s research hints at an underlying realm of conscious intelligible patterns, challenging reductionist views and opening the door to a Platonic interpretation of biology.

Dr. Matthew Segall is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at California Institute of Integral Studies. He explores the intersections of metaphysics, science, and consciousness often through the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy. Whitehead, highly influenced by Plato, rejected the static, mechanistic worldview of classical science, instead proposing that reality is composed of dynamic processes, where mind and matter are deeply intertwined. This aligns with the work of Levin, whose research suggests that living systems follow formative principles that transcend mere genetic code—an idea resonant with Whitehead’s notion of eternal objects (akin to Platonic Forms) as guiding forces in the becoming of things.

Evolution News put out an article discussing this paper - Ingressing Minds: Causal Patterns Beyond Genetics and Environment in Natural, Synthetic, and Hybrid Embodiments - that is currently a preprint authored [by] Levin:

Biologist Michael Levin: A Farewell to Physicalism

 Daniel Witt

This is an ~1 hour 10 minute conversation with Iain McGilchrist (https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/), on the topic of my recent paper on the Platonic Space (https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5g2...) - forms ingressing into the physical world in biology, causation, evolution, and mind.

So it seems Levin is a Platonist, Dualist, and "Panpsychist" though he seems to reject the idea of small Minds combining into bigger ones...seems like he calls himself that because he's an - [from what I can tell] - Animist who thinks even material objects could attract agents from the Platonic space who desire embodiment.

Was also surprised to see him mention synchronicity and personality characteristics transferring through transplants -- though [regarding] the latter he doesn't think the sample is robust enough right now.

A Conversation between Michael Levin and Àlex Gómez-Marín

Àlex Gómez-Marin curates and hosts conversations to address The Future World, seeking to gain clarity and insight into important contemporary matters that require both urgent action as well as deep reflection.

Michael Levin is the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University, and associate faculty at Harvard’s Wyss Institute. He serves as the director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts and the co-director of the Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms at Tufts/UVM. He received dual B.S. degrees in computer science and biology, followed by a Ph.D. from Harvard with Clifford Tabin. He did post-doctoral training at Harvard School of Medicine in cell biology, and started his independent lab in 2000, developing the first molecular tools to read and write bioelectric prepatterns in non-neural tissue. The Levin lab studies the natural bioelectric gradients in tissue as the cognitive glue that holds together not only the neural Self but the somatic mind of the body.

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Excerpted from:

The other vids from Tevin Naidu's podcast:




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This is a very fast (~33min) flyover of some ideas relevant to the relationship between biology, computation, cognition, consciousness, and related subjects. This was given at the amazing Progress and Visions in Consciousness Science series (https://amcs-community.org/events/pro...) as the prologue to a discussion.

This is a ~1 hour discussion with philosopher of science Lauren Ross (https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~rossl/), on the topic of explanation and causation - what does it mean to look for explanations in science, what counts as a good explanation, and how do you know you've got one.

Dr. Michael Levin is on the verge of revolutionizing medicine by unlocking the bioelectric code that governs how cells communicate, heal, and build complex structures. His work reveals that intelligence exists at every level of biology—allowing us to reprogram tissues, regenerate limbs, and even suppress cancer by restoring cellular memory and connection.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
02:45 The Role of Bioelectricity in Medicine
7:00 Multi-Scale Problem Solving
7:55 The Intelligence of Development
11:41 Decoding Electrical Memories
12:29 The Power of Bioelectric Signals
13:20 Rewiring Cellular Communication
15:29 Cancer and Cellular Networks
16:30 Birth Defects and Bioelectricity
18:28 Regeneration and Bioelectric Pathways
22:50 Inducing Novel Organs
25:35 The Future of Medicine
26:24 Audience Interaction and Questions
31:34 The Future of Bioelectricity
38:55 Integrating Bioelectricity with Evolution
44:17 Preventative Strategies in Medicine
45:45 Closing Remarks and Resources
46:30 Conclusion