The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World

by Iain McGilchrist

Here is cell biologist Bruce Lipton: Each cell is an intelligent being that can survive on its own, as scientists demonstrate when they remove individual cells from the body and grow them in a culture … these smart cells are imbued with intent and purpose; they actively seek environments that support their survival while simultaneously avoiding toxic or hostile ones. Like humans, single cells analyse thousands of stimuli from the microenvironment they inhabit. Through the analysis of this data, cells select appropriate behavioural responses to ensure their survival. Single cells are also capable of learning through these environmental experiences and are able to create cellular memories, which they pass on to their offspring.131 It seems to me, given everything else we know, that the explanatory burden is on those who would have mindless mechanisms give rise to sentient beings to tell us how, why and at what point they do so.