Episode
Lesson 1: The Missing Lever
- Podcast
- The Functional Mind
- Published
- May 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 386
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
The mind-body problem has been framed wrong for centuries. The real question isn't whether mind and body are two distinct things. They aren't — not fundamentally. The real question is what separates living things from nonliving ones. That's where the answer has been hiding. The Functional Mind is a complete argument in 28 lessons, released fortnightly. By the end, you will have a coherent scientific framework for understanding life, mind, and what it means to be the kind of thing we are. Not a survey of existing ideas — a new framework, built from first principles, that I believe resolves questions that have been officially unanswered for a century. The written version of every lesson is available at thefunctionalmind.substack.com — same content, readable at your own pace. Music by Brylie Christopher – full credits: Solo This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefunctionalmind.substack.com