A ball rolling downhill has a non-zero level of competency on the intelligence spectrum (it minimizes energy without being pushed) but very minimal agency—you can only interact with it by changing the landscape or pushing it, not by changing its beliefs or internal state.

factualpending

Speaker

Michael Levin

Evidence Quote

ball...has a little bit of Competency to minimize things...but I gain zero benefit by thinking about internal state...only tools are to modify the landscape

Source

Agency, Attractors, & Observer-Dependent Computation in Biology & BeyondCarlos Farias
Created: 8/10/2026, 4:43:28 PM

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