Templeton is trying to have agency, directionality, and function in life forms without underlying intelligence

Kind of like giving a monkey a computer and hoping he’ll “get it” on his own:

There is a growing recognition that biological phenomena which suggest agency, directionality, or goal-directedness demand new conceptual frameworks that can translate into rigorous theoretical models and discriminating empirical tests. This project addresses the demand through a novel, interdisciplinary, large-scale program that combines philosophers, theoreticians, and experimentalists.

Introduction, “Biologists often attribute purpose to living systems… Should they?” at Agency, Directionality & Function

Here’s the blog.

A friend says a number of interesting Third Way people are there. No ID folk, of course.

It’s a good thing theTempleton-funded project is going to a great deal of trouble to demonstrate that intelligence does not create itself by — in effect — ruling out other possibilities via their work. Let’s wish them well at that.

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