Tag: quantum mechanics

The finer scale of consciousness: quantum theory

The nature of consciousness, once the exclusive realm of philosophers, has been, very gradually penetrated by neuroscientists, biologists, and physicists. Consciousness has always been defined as the Hard Problem in all these subjects.

With the emergence of unprecedented devices and the development of multidisciplinary experiments in different research fields, more details of this hard problem have been revealed, especially in quantum mechanics and neuroscientific fields. Quantum computers are considered the brightest new star in the quantum field and increasingly fascinate quantum physicists and information technology specialists. Advances in new materials and cryogenic physics have led to remarkable breakthroughs in quantum computing in recent years. Because quantum mechanics deals with the tiniest constituents of the material world, it seems capable of elucidating numerous unsolved and tough problems. Quantum theory, a branch from the finer scale of consciousness, has been accompanied by numerous controversies since its inception, but abundant proof demonstrated that this theoretical framework is capable of explaining the majority of consciousness problems that traditional neuroscience could not, especially the orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR) theory introduced by Penrose and Hameroff.

It was widely accepted that most neuronal communication and information transmission initially occurred on receptors and ligands (especially among synapses in the central nervous system) on the cell membrane, followed by second messengers that broadcast or transfer the information to various parts of the interior cell. Almost all basic studies in neurobiology converge on the various receptors, ligands and signaling pathways. However, are we 100% certain about this prerequisite basis of neuroscience? Rather than the conventional receptors and ligands of the membrane, the principal cellular components of the Orch-OR theory are microtubules that are mostly considered pivotal structures for material transportation, cell movement, mitosis and establishment and maintenance of cell form and function.


To date, this theory has remained one of the most acceptable and continuous theories that covers in detail quantum physics, quantum gravity, quantum information theory, molecular biology, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, and anesthesiology. Additionally, this theory was known to neurobiologists who were interested in the “Hard Problem” as well as physicists and philosophers.
Under the background of rapid development of world computer technology, Hameroff likened the flow of information in the brain to computers in which microtubules were to the brain what transistors were to the computer (40-43). Inspired by this fantastic analogy and Gödel’s incompleteness theorems, in The Emperor’s New Mind (44) published in 1989, Roger Penrose first attached the quantum effect in human cognition. For example, he considered whether consciousness can affect quantum mechanics or vice versa and that quantum mechanics itself might be included in consciousness. Penrose suggested that the “objective collapse”, that is, the collapse and superposition of quantum interference, is a real physical process, similar to the bursting of bubbles (44). Furthermore, consciousness was the product of quantum space-time structure (Figure 2), which was inextricably related to the universe, and the theory describing the relationship between consciousness and the universe was the Orch-OR theory (44). These quantum theories facilitated the emergence of later biological hypotheses of consciousness based on quantum mechanics.

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What Can Consciousness Anomalies Tell Us about Quantum Mechanics? By George R. Williams

In this paper I explore the link between consciousness and quantum mechanics. Often, explanations that invoke consciousness to help explain some of the most perplexing aspects of quantum mechanics are not given serious attention.

However, casual dismissal is perhaps unwarranted, given the persistence of the measurement problem, as well as the mysterious nature of consciousness. Using data accumulated from experiments in parapsychology, I examine what anomalous data with respect to consciousness might tell us about various explanations of quantum mechanics. I examine three categories of quantum mechanics interpretations that have some promise of fitting with this anomalous data. I conclude that explanations that posit a substratum of reality containing pure information or potentia, along the lines proposed by Bohm and Stapp, offer the best fit for various categories of this data.

The paradoxical nature of quantum mechanics virtually assures that any explanation invokes a theoretical construction that clashes with our accustomed view of the world. As a result we have Schrödinger’s Cat or Everett’s interpretation that every possibility implied by the standard waveform is manifested. Against these sorts of alternatives, an explanation that posits links between consciousness and matter may not appear so radical. And while many of the hows and whats of consciousness remain unanswered, it nevertheless possesses a significant virtue that other alternatives lack: It is not merely a theoretical construction. The existence of consciousness, however mysterious, cannot be doubted.

Arguably, the various explanations for quantum mechanics can be grouped into three categories: collapse explanations, relative states (or many worlds) interpretations, and theories that depend on hidden variables or orders. The best-known collapse model is the conventional or Copenhagen interpretation, developed primarily by Bohr and Heisenberg. Numerous experiments have confirmed the validity of its mathematical rules. The Copenhagen interpretation frames a given quantum system as a wave function that represents a superposition of possible vector states of the system. Unlike classical systems, quantum systems are essentially probabilistic, with no way to predict which possible state will eventually manifest. According to Copenhagen, the wave function evolves smoothly in time until a measurement leads to the collapse of the waveform into the state that is observed.

Von Neumann’s (1932) formal analysis of the measurement problem acknowledged the crucial role that the observer played with the waveform collapse. More explicit arguments that consciousness itself causes the waveform collapse were made by Wigner (1967). Stapp (1993) invoked Von Neumann’s framework to investigate waveform collapse within the brain. Stapp proposed that the microscopic dimensions within neurons create quantum uncertainty, leading to a cloud of possible neurological states within the brain. According to Stapp, consciousness selects from possible brain states the one that is congruent with personal experience.

Penrose (1989, 1994) also explores a theory of objective collapse, which in this case requires substantial innovation across a number of challenging areas, including quantum gravity, consciousness, and the neurological structures within the brain. Collaborations with Hameroff have led to a proposed model (Hameroff & Penrose 1996) in which conscious experience emerges from a sort of quantum computing within the brain’s microtubules. That is, the brain’s microtubules sustain coherent superposition of quantum states. Consciousness results through the gravitation-induced collapse of these states. Tegmark (2000) has argued that the brain’s warm temperatures do not allow a sustained quantum collapse for the duration of time required for neural processing. However, Hagan, Hameroff, and Tuszynski (2002) have replied that under reasonable conditions, the superposition within microtubules might be sustained within the brain.

If we somehow get past this problem, another concern arises: how do we extract meaningful information? Hameroff and Penrose developed a sophisticated model within the brain describing networks of microtubules in coherent superposition, through which our conscious experience emerges. Another class of mind–matter experiment uses Young’s double-slit appa- ratus, perhaps the best-known experiment showing quantum mechanical effects, as a framework for testing.

Quantum mechanics is arguably the most successful theory in physics. Yet it remains the most mysterious one as well. The heart of the mystery is the measurement problem, the transition from the evolution of subatomic particles described by the Schrödinger equation to the results observed in experiments. After nearly a century of experimentation and debate, no consensus among physicists has emerged, and virtually all interpretations depart from classical physics, as well as from common sense reality. And yet the standard (Copenhagen) interpretation fits the data so well, with no apparent anomalies, that making a breakthrough in understanding may be very difficult.

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