Is consciousness at all mathematically describable?

  • Context: Mathematica 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Loren Booda
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Consciousness
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the mathematical describability of consciousness, exploring whether consciousness can be characterized by physical or mathematical properties. Participants examine various aspects of consciousness, including its structure, processes, and potential connections to phenomena like the Global Consciousness Project.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether consciousness embodies essential properties such as structure or logic, suggesting these may be necessary but not sufficient for consciousness.
  • Concerns are raised about the validity and interpretation of data from the Global Consciousness Project, including the potential for unconscious manipulation and the criteria for selecting significant events.
  • Participants discuss the implications of statistical correlations between consciousness and physical events, questioning the nature of these correlations and the assumptions underlying them.
  • There is mention of the consistent histories interpretation of quantum mechanics as a framework that might relate to consciousness, with requests for further resources on this topic.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the ability of consciousness to influence physical phenomena, citing examples from quantum mechanics that adhere to established randomness.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the relationship between consciousness and physical phenomena, with no consensus reached. Some agree on the potential significance of consciousness in interpreting data, while others remain skeptical about its influence and the methodologies used in related experiments.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the data and methodologies discussed, including concerns about the selection of events and the accuracy of data collection in the Global Consciousness Project. There are also unresolved questions regarding the implications of consciousness on quantum mechanics.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring the intersections of consciousness, physics, and mathematics, as well as individuals curious about the implications of consciousness in scientific research and experimental design.

Loren Booda
Messages
3,115
Reaction score
4
Does consciousness essentially embody structure, process, entity, logic or other physico-mathematical properties?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What do you mean by 'essentially embody'?
 
"essentially embody" - require for its wholeness; sine qua non
 
I'm still unclear on the question... in any case, it may be that these things are necessary for consciousness, but they do not appear to be sufficient.
 
That is really interesting. The whole "aura" thing may be scientific after all. hmm, i'll have to ponder this more.
 
ICF,
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/fristwall2.html

They are trying

This Global Consciousness Project shows that the statistics of retrospect justify would-be predictions - to think that this is a Princeton project! If a person were totally isolated from communication and given this realtime data alone, would they be able to "sense" significant world events? I doubt it.

In some ways it's actually a worthwhile test but prone to unconscious manipulation. How would they distinguish whether the analysis itself is due to telepathy or purely physical phenomena? The number of physical events is myriad compared to, and also imbue, "significant" human circumstances. The former will also yield different deviations than if those events were deemed (after the fact) significant.
 
(Feeling a bit like Ivan Seeking) Criticising it because you can't find the cause is irrelavant. You notice they don't try to assert the cause. The data exists. If you assert manipulation you should be specific, to my understanding the analysis is real time and automated.
 
How are the events selected, and whose society determines their value? Are human events assumed more "telepathic" than those of other life? My guess is the GCP spend the majority of their time "establishing" worldly correlations to their subtle order, much like a "mind reader" fishes for clues.

Do they address arguments against their method? The data that's hidden, thus what counts as statistically random, worries me. Too obvious; they need to work out the human bugs. It seems a worthy attempt, on the right track nevertheless.

I stand by my previous post.
 
  • #10
Additionally, we must trust that the data is accurate and not fabricated.

Is there a double-blind built into their system?

Just think of the countless microelectronic and other quantum experiments ever performed that rely on randomness or a relationship thereto, and how their results have never been shown affected by such "consciousness."
 
  • #11
The "events" aren't selected. The input runs all the time, on a voluntary basis. Then they look at the record preceding strong events like 9/11 and compare the response then to normal responses.
 
  • #12
Why do other frequently reproduced experiments (e. g., EPR) behave exactly according to quantum randomness (e. g., violation of Bell inequality), rather than represent the effects from past events of human conscience?

What would be the cumulative effect of these extreme (even moderate) telepathic deviations to uncertainty on established quantum mechanics?
 
  • #13
It is not asserted that the participents in the experiment affected the subsequent events, but that there was some statistical, emergent, or collective awareness not of the paritcularity of event (9/11 or whatever) but that there would be an event. The only explanation I have ever seen was in terms of the quantum interpretation by consistent histories, where the reasonableness of anything doesn't appear until it's all over.
 
  • #14
The only explanation I have ever seen was in terms of the quantum interpretation by consistent histories, where the reasonableness of anything doesn't appear until it's all over.
Do you have any links where I could study this interpretation?

Thanks
 
  • #15
I used to. I'll try to find them again. Consistent histories is quite a respectable interpretation of quantum mechanics (alternative to Copenhagen, multiple worlds, etc.).

Added in edit: Try this site. In the FAQ, one of the questions is "Hasn't consistent Histories been proved inconsistent?". The work I found before, allowing mysterious correlations after the fact, was part of that effort to show inconsistence. I haven't found that stuff yet.
 
Last edited:
  • #16
Try this site.
Thanks. I did. Now I need to study some of R. B. Griffiths work.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
Replies
9
Views
5K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 64 ·
3
Replies
64
Views
5K
  • · Replies 99 ·
4
Replies
99
Views
15K
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 143 ·
5
Replies
143
Views
13K
  • · Replies 58 ·
2
Replies
58
Views
4K