Theoretical and Experimental Approaches to Goal-Directed Behavior

The ability to set and pursue intrinsic goals has often been seen as a distinguishing property of life, and the transition from the seemingly purposeless world of physics and chemistry to the apparently goal-directed world of biology may be a crucial step in the origin of life. At present, however, there is no established approach for investigating goal-directed behavior in nonliving, proto-living, and living systems in a unified manner.

This workshop will bring together experts from diverse fields to make progress on these issues. Our discussions will cover topics like mathematical, philosophical, and operational definitions of goal-directed behavior, its relationship to the origin of life, and connections to nonequilibrium thermodynamics, information theory, and machine learning. We also plan to touch upon experimental methods for investigating goal-directed behavior in systems ranging from prebiotic chemistry and active matter to modern metabolic networks. 

This workshop will include talks and time for discussions. We are very much looking forward to your participation in what we hope will be a highly stimulating and productive event. There is no registration fee, and funding is available to cover travel and accommodation, thanks to the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.