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Terrence Deacon
Anthropologist and neuroscientist: emergence, purpose and the origin of life
Who they are, and what we talked about
Terrence Deacon is Professor and Chair of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. His work combines evolutionary biology and comparative neuroanatomy to study how human cognition evolved, and how purposeful, goal-like processes can arise from physics and chemistry.
He has been a guest twice. In 2024 the conversation asked whether mind emerged from matter, taking in constraints, causal emergence and the difference between teleology and teleonomy. In 2025 he spoke with Michael Levin, for the first time in conversation, about life and the origin of purpose.
Topics
Written by Mind-Body Solution from the episode show notes. Guests speak for themselves, and their views are their own. Read the full disclaimer.
Episodes with Dr Naidu
In date order, so you can follow how the conversation developed.
3 September 2024
Did Mind Emerge From Matter? Origin of Life, Causal Emergence, & Descartes' Shadow
Length 3 hr 9 min
In this conversation: The Mind-Body Problem; Universal Grammar; Linguistic Prosthesis & Shared Cognition.
9 May 2025
What is Life? Complexity, Cognition & the Origin of Purpose
Length 1 hr 30 min
In this conversation: Mike on Terry's work; Terry on Mike's work; Mike & Terry on Daniel Dennett's work.