TT6: The Emergence of Agency
September 06–11, 2026
Oratorio di Barottoli
At what point does matter begin to sense, respond, and act? How does chemistry become biology, and how does life evolve toward cognition, awareness, and choice?
This Think Tank explores the emergence of agency across scales — from the first informational exchanges in living systems to questions of complexity, survival, consciousness, and intelligence. It invites reflection on whether awareness is a rare accident, an unfolding tendency of life, or a deeper property of reality itself — extending the inquiry from biology to the future of artificial intelligence.
PARTICIPANTS
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Adam Frank is a physicist, astronomer, and writer whose work spans astrophysics, exoplanets, astrobiology, and the long-term relationship between planetary systems and technological civilizations. His research explores how life, intelligence, and cosmic evolution intersect in shaping humanity’s place within the universe.
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Evan Thompson is a philosopher whose work bridges cognitive science, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, and Buddhist thought. His research explores consciousness, embodiment, and the relationship between lived experience and scientific understanding.
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Mazviita Chirimuuta is a philosopher and neuroscientist whose interdisciplinary work examines vision, consciousness, color perception, and the relationship between brain, mind, and reality. Her research offers fresh perspectives on how neuroscience informs philosophical debates about perception and knowledge.
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Melanie Challenger is a writer, researcher, and public thinker whose work explores environmental history, bioethics, and the philosophical meaning of being human within the living world. Her reflections connect ecology, science, and ethics through questions of identity, vulnerability, and interdependence.
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Gourab Ghoshal is a physicist whose research spans complex systems, the origins of life, computational modeling, and the dynamics of interconnected systems. His work investigates how complexity emerges across physical, biological, and informational networks.
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David Krakauer is a scientist and complexity theorist whose research explores the evolution of life, intelligence, communication, and problem-solving systems. His work connects biology, computation, culture, and knowledge systems to understand how adaptive agency emerges across scales.
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