Dr. William B. Miller Jr. is a physician, evolutionary biologist, and author of The Microcosm Within, Bioverse, and The Sentient Cell — books redefining how we understand life, evolution, and consciousness itself.He believes every cell is intelligent — sensing, deciding, and creating information from within. His groundbreaking theory of Cognition-Based Evolution reframes evolution not as a blind process of random mutations, but as a self-organizing, information-driven system guided by cellular minds.Expect to learn why cells—not genes—are the true engines of evolution, how microbes shaped the origins of consciousness, why cancer is a breakdown of cellular cooperation, how bioelectric communication could unlock regeneration, what makes Michael Levin’s living “Xenobots” so revolutionary, why AI can’t be conscious without boundaries or self-made information, and how this new understanding of life may reveal genuine purpose in the universe.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:20 Exploring Life's Biggest Questions
04:55 The Consciousness of Cells
07:39 Understanding Consciousness and Doubt
10:30 Cells and Their Preferences
13:21 The Self-Generated Nature of Information
16:11 The Continuum of Consciousness
19:13 Collaboration and Competition Among Cells
22:01 Cancer: A Disease of the Self
24:58 Understanding Cancer Through Niche Construction
27:39 Therapeutic Avenues in Cancer Research
30:23 The Role of the Brain in Consciousness
33:20 Conscious Cells and Space Exploration
36:05 The Implications of Sending Life into Space
47:35 Understanding Consciousness and Its Boundaries
52:28 Cells as Problem Solving Entities
55:27 The Variance of Human Experience
59:14 The Senome and Sensory Capacity
01:05:13 Cognition-Based Evolution Explained
01:10:45 The Role of Cognition in Evolution
01:16:31 Cognition Before Cells: A Debate
01:19:11 AI and Consciousness: A Distinction
01:26:19 The Future of Consciousness and AI
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Buy His Great Books
The Sentient Cell: The Cellular Foundations of Consciousness: https://amzn.to/431VoQf
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