Michael Levin: Fire Engineers Who Don't Believe Machines Have Goals
JensHonack · x · 2026-10-25
Developmental biologist Michael Levin fired back at the claim that attributing 'goals' to machines is mystical thinking: if your HVAC technician says thermostats are pure physics with no goals, fire him immediately. Someone who can't see thermostats as remarkable cybernetic beings, he argues, will be bad at fixing, building, or inventing the next one — consistent with his long-standing view that goal-directedness is a real, engineerable property.
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