Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What does it mean to be alive? Where does intelligence originate? What do we share with other living creatures? Where does the individual begin, and how do each of us fit into the living world?
These are the questions I pose researcher and writer, Melanie Challenger, author of Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World (UK version, US version). In this brilliant episode, we explore the definition of aliveness and intelligence, with Melanie revealing the ancient histories which have dominated our cultural understanding of intelligence. She offers a new definition, one grounded in our sensory bodies—a physical intelligence that comes from being here, being present, and being finite. We also discuss the supposed binary between individualism and collectivism, with Melanie challenging both the neoliberal hegemony and the environmental mantra of unlimited entanglement, offering a nuanced perspective which reconciles these two oppositional positions into something profoundly meaningful.
🔴 Alive - US version: bookshop.org/a/122791/9780143137818
🔴 Alive - UK version: uk.bookshop.org/a/17225/9781805300052
🔴 Melanie's website: melaniechallenger.com
🌎 Support Planet: Critical: patreon.com/planetcritical
🌎 Subscribe: planetcritical.com
🌎 BSky: https://bsky.app/profile/racheldonald.bsky.social
What does it mean to be alive? Where does intelligence originate? What do we share with other living creatures? Where does the individual begin, and how do each of us fit into the living world?
These are the questions I pose researcher and writer, Melanie Challenger, author of Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World (UK version, US version). In this brilliant episode, we explore the definition of aliveness and intelligence, with Melanie revealing the ancient histories which have dominated our cultural understanding of intelligence. She offers a new definition, one grounded in our sensory bodies—a physical intelligence that comes from being here, being present, and being finite. We also discuss the supposed binary between individualism and collectivism, with Melanie challenging both the neoliberal hegemony and the environmental mantra of unlimited entanglement, offering a nuanced perspective which reconciles these two oppositional positions into something profoundly meaningful.
🔴 Alive - US version: bookshop.org/a/122791/9780143137818
🔴 Alive - UK version: uk.bookshop.org/a/17225/9781805300052
🔴 Melanie's website: melaniechallenger.com
🌎 Support Planet: Critical: patreon.com/planetcritical
🌎 Subscribe: planetcritical.com
🌎 BSky: https://bsky.app/profile/racheldonald.bsky.social
