Sarah Walker

Like if you're a really deep thinker and you're really thinking about reality that deeply and you are part of the reality that you're trying to describe, like you feel it. You really feel it.

Yes. It's a constant, constant descent into madness.

Yes. It's a constant, constant descent into madness.

Yes. It's a constant, constant descent into madness.

Yeah, you know you don't know.

Yeah, you know you don't know.

Yeah, you know you don't know.

I rely on other people to tell me. Actually, this is very funny because I have these conversations with my students often. They're worried about going crazy.

I rely on other people to tell me. Actually, this is very funny because I have these conversations with my students often. They're worried about going crazy.

I rely on other people to tell me. Actually, this is very funny because I have these conversations with my students often. They're worried about going crazy.

The origin of life is like this boundary that the universe can only cross if If a structure that emerges can reinforce its own existence, which is self-reproduction, autocatalysis, things people traditionally talk about, but it has to be able to maintain its own existence against this sort of randomness that happens in chemistry and this randomness that happens in the quantum world.

The origin of life is like this boundary that the universe can only cross if If a structure that emerges can reinforce its own existence, which is self-reproduction, autocatalysis, things people traditionally talk about, but it has to be able to maintain its own existence against this sort of randomness that happens in chemistry and this randomness that happens in the quantum world.

The origin of life is like this boundary that the universe can only cross if If a structure that emerges can reinforce its own existence, which is self-reproduction, autocatalysis, things people traditionally talk about, but it has to be able to maintain its own existence against this sort of randomness that happens in chemistry and this randomness that happens in the quantum world.

And like it's in some sense the emergence of like a deterministic structure that says, you know, I'm going to exist and I'm going to keep going. But, you know, pinning that down is really hard. We have ways of thinking about it in assembly theory that I think are pretty rigorous.

And like it's in some sense the emergence of like a deterministic structure that says, you know, I'm going to exist and I'm going to keep going. But, you know, pinning that down is really hard. We have ways of thinking about it in assembly theory that I think are pretty rigorous.

And like it's in some sense the emergence of like a deterministic structure that says, you know, I'm going to exist and I'm going to keep going. But, you know, pinning that down is really hard. We have ways of thinking about it in assembly theory that I think are pretty rigorous.

And one of the things I'm really excited about is trying to actually quantify in an assembly theoretic way when the original life happens. But the basic process I have in mind is, is a system that has no causal contingency, no constraints of objects basically constraining the existence of other objects or allowing the existence of other objects.

And one of the things I'm really excited about is trying to actually quantify in an assembly theoretic way when the original life happens. But the basic process I have in mind is, is a system that has no causal contingency, no constraints of objects basically constraining the existence of other objects or allowing the existence of other objects.

And one of the things I'm really excited about is trying to actually quantify in an assembly theoretic way when the original life happens. But the basic process I have in mind is, is a system that has no causal contingency, no constraints of objects basically constraining the existence of other objects or allowing the existence of other objects.

And so that sounds very abstract, but you can just think of a chemical reaction can't happen if there's not a catalyst, for example, or a baby can't be born if there wasn't a parent. So there's a lot of causal contingency that's necessary for certain things to happen. So- You think about this sort of unconstrained, random system. There's nothing that reinforces the existence of other things.