What if in order to understand how consciousness and the brain work, you need to apply the laws and principles of quantum physics there?

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3 Answers

  1. I can't (and no one can yet) give an answer. But I propose to conduct a practical, pilot experiment with probands. Without any mysticism or esotericism! For this experiment, only different conditions change. Nothing is measured, nothing is observed. It's all about Proband's feelings. Further-more, i.e. experiments-step-by-step with varying different conditions.

  2. Quantum consciousness

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    According to the multiverse theory proposed by the American physicist Hugh Everett, we can exist simultaneously in several parallel realities, in which an object cannot have a certain position and speed at a certain moment, and all events are described by probabilities and waves that occupy certain areas of space. Such systems belong to the quantum theory that describes the state of matter at the subatomic level. We can't specify the exact state of such a system. Why? In our traditional conventional world, we can pinpoint the characteristics of an object, such as its location. This is because we can ignore minor effects that are expressed at the atomic level ,such as a measuring instrument or an observer. However, at the subatomic level, we are not allowed to neglect the influence of the observer on the object of observation, since this process has some effect on the object. For example, if we look at a book, we can determine its coordinates without taking into account the reflective light effect that helps us see this book. However, light is electromagnetic radiation, and it affects the atoms and molecules of the book. In this interaction, the subatomic properties of the book and light are constantly changing, and therefore there is no way to accurately determine them. This world of elementary particles obeys the principle of quantum uncertainty and can be described by quantum physics, in particular, the wave function. This allows us to obtain the most complete probabilistic physical characteristics of the system at the subatomic level, such as the probability density of the location of particles at any given point at a given time, and to predict the transformation of its physical properties over time. If any system is given by quantum �parameters, it will have an infinite number of mathematical solutions.

    However, our brain is set up to perceive our reality as one and unchangeable, despite the possible existence of many realities. Our brain takes into account only one decision about how we should act at a certain time. For example, we either stop or keep moving, but we can't make both decisions at the same time. According to the theory, to implement one of the possible options, an observer must perform an act of observation. At the moment of observation, the observer causes the wave function to collapse, which in turn violates the uncertainty. The decision-making process is a process of observation or measurement. Therefore, by choosing one particular solution, we destroy the uncertainty, and our brain moves from the quantum state to the classical state, therefore, we perceive our reality as a single one.

    The laws of physics and consciousness are essentially related. Some researchers claim that our brain obeys the laws of quantum mechanics, and we can have quantum consciousness. Roger Penrose, an English physicist and mathematician, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of our time and a member of the American Academy of Sciences, and Stuart Hameroff, a psychologist and professor at the University of Arizona, created a model of quantum consciousness. According to their theory, brain activity is largely regulated by the laws of quantum physics. The introspection system causes a spontaneous collapse, called “objective reduction,” of the brain wave function that forces our brain to make a specific decision. How does this internal system choose one state over another? It's not clear yet.

    Researchers suggest that the vast majority of active brain activities occur unconsciously, and our consciousness is like the tip of an iceberg. But they argue that there are also no well-defined areas of the brain that are the ” home of consciousness.” At some point, neurons can perform different functions of both conscious and unconscious activity. As the authors suggest, the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness can occur through the collapse of the wave function. Consciousness is thus a self-organizing process at the edge of the quantum and classical worlds.

    This theory has both supporters and opponents. The main argument against the assumption of quantum consciousness is that quantum states lose their strength (or decom) before they reach spatial and energy levels sufficient to affect neural processes. These arguments are supported by the calculations of M. Tegmark, a physicist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, biophysicists have repeatedly demonstrated in experiments that quantum biological processes actually occur in living organisms. Moreover, Tegmark, in his scientific work entitled “Consciousness as a state of matter”, argues that the mind is actually a certain state of matter. This substance can not only collect and use data, but it can also be indivisible. He writes that just as there are many types of fluids, so there can be many types of consciousness. The professor is trying to develop a mathematical model of consciousness, thereby formalizing consciousness. It attempts to describe fundamental problems, such as how a system can be repaired from failures by using an undistorted part, or how matter stores and processes information, by formulating these problems in terms of quantum mechanics and information theory.

    Undoubtedly, the theory of quantum consciousness is still in its infancy and needs further experimental confirmation or refutation.

    Sources:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WXTX0IUaOg http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc� �Sir Roger Penrose — The quantum nature of consciousness http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/06-discover-interview-roger-penrose-says-physics-is-wrong-string-theory-quantum-mechanics “Our Mathematical Universe” by Max Tegmark http://arxiv.org/abs/1401.1219

    self-knowing.com

  3. This idea is not new, but until now no convincing arguments have been presented in favor of the fact that quantum phenomena have a significant impact on consciousness. You can read more on the wiki.

    And if anything, quantum mechanics is still as much a mystery with many different interpretations as consciousness itself. So it is not yet known what to use to solve what.

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