In 2020 I had a fascinating conversation with Michael Levin, a professor whose work seeks to “detect, understand, predict, and communicate with truly diverse intelligences, including cells, tissues, organs, synthetic living constructs, robots, and software-based AIs.”
I recently discovered your substack, and this post in particular has stuck in my mind. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the value and importance of strong metaphor, along with the risks of a weak or over-simplified metaphor. I think that DNA is an excellent example of the broader overuse of machine metaphors in biology.
I recently discovered your substack, and this post in particular has stuck in my mind. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the value and importance of strong metaphor, along with the risks of a weak or over-simplified metaphor. I think that DNA is an excellent example of the broader overuse of machine metaphors in biology.