Is There a Connection Between Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness?

[batmanandjoker]

So this is pretty recent but it seems they found that consciousness is somehow linked to QM at least in how the brain works.I hope this doesent mean that thoughts/consciousness have an effect on reality.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064513001619

 

[Khashishi]

That quantum elements are involved with the brain doesn't mean that quantum mechanism has some super special role in enabling consciousness. Everything has some quantum-ness to it. I hope you aren't thinking that quantum mechanics means ESP, because quantum mechanics is real and ESP (in the supernatural sense) is not.

 

[batmanandjoker]

Heres a better link
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064513001188

 

[bhobba]

That quantum elements are involved with the brain doesn't mean that quantum mechanism has some super special role in enabling consciousness. Everything has some quantum-ness to it. I hope you aren't thinking that quantum mechanics means ESP, because quantum mechanics is real and ESP (in the supernatural sense) is not.

Exactly.

Only some, these days, very fringe interpretations of QM, have conciousness involved in it in some way. It was introduced by Von Neumann and Wigner for reasons there is no need to go into here. Since then we know a lot more about decoherence and their reason is no longer relevant. This doesn't disprove those interpretations, but does show such a weird view of the world is not required - it particularly becomes absurd with modern computer technology and you have the computer doing the observation. You record the results to a usb stick. Destroy the original thing that was observed by the computer then say 100 years later view the data on the stick - oh and also assume you have made a million copies.

Thanks
Bill

 

[batmanandjoker]

I thought Quantum physics had nothing to do with consciousness

 

[bhobba]

I thought Quantum physics had nothing to do with consciousness

It doesn't for the large part.

But some fringe interpretations exist where it does - but they lead to a particularly weird view of the world that most would reject.

Its like solipsism - you can't prove it wrong - but virtually everyone rejects it.

Thanks
Bill

 

[StevieTNZ]

I thought Quantum physics had nothing to do with consciousness

There are some interpretations where consciousness plays a role in wave function 'collapse'.

See for example Euan Squires' book 'Conscious Mind in the Physical World'; 'Quantum Enigma' by Bruce Rosenblum; 'The Mind Matters' by David Hodgson.