Michael Levin: belief

Transcript context

…Where do you think ideas come from when you’re taking a walk that eventually materialize in a voicemail? Where’s that? What … Is that from you? Is that … You know, a lot of really … Some of the most interesting people feel like they’re channeling from somewhere else. I mean, I hate to bring up the Platonic space again, but I mean, if you talk to any creative, that’s basically what they’ll tell you, right? And certainly that’s been my experience, so I feel like it’s a collaboration. So collaboration is I need to bust my ass and be prepped in one, A, to work hard, to be able to recognize the idea when it comes, and B, to actually have an outlet for it so that when it does come, we have a lab and we have people who can help me do it, and then we can actually get it out, right? So that’s my part, is, you know, be up at 4:30 AM doing your thing and be ready for it. But the other side of the collaboration is that, yeah, when you do that, amazing ideas come, and, you know, to say that it’s me, I don’t think would be right. I, you know, I think it’s definitely coming from other places. What advice would you give to scientists, PhD students, grad students, young scientists that are trying to explore the space of ideas given the very unconventional, non-standard, unique set of ideas you’ve explored in your life and career?…

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