'Brains' may be considered to be computation engines, with neurons and synapses analogized to electronic components wired into networks that process information, learn and evolve. Alternatively, 'brains' are cognitive systems, which contain elements of intentionality, purposefulness and creativity that do not fit comfortably into a brain-as-computer metaphor. I address the question of how we may think most constructively about brains in their various forms-solid, liquid or fluid-and whether there is a coherent theory that unites them all. In this essay, I explore cognitive systems in the context of new understanding of life's distinctive nature, in particular the core concept of homeostasis, and how this new understanding lays a sound conceptual foundation for an expansive theory of brains. This article is part of the theme issue 'Liquid brains, solid brains: How distributed cognitive architectures process information'.