What is Consciousness? How does it affect our Physical Universe?

[Immortal68]

TL;DR Summary

I've recently set myself a personal task. And that's to understand consciousness.

Sure it seems like an impossible feat but I need to gain a bit more depth, every little helps. I've been trying to analyse different things in life. Behaviours of other individuals', my own behaviour, our interaction with other conscious individuals, e.t.c. Essentially I've just been trying to see what makes others tick. Sure you might think this falls under the purview of psychology, but I'm not trying to analyse people psychologically. I'm trying to see how they themselves can affect the world around them.

How can consciousness affect our physical universe in real time? Why does it affect it as such?

I just wanted to have a read on other thoughts people here might have to offer. All thoughts are welcome. I just wish to broaden my perception really.

 

[anuttarasammyak]

Summary:: I've recently set myself a personal task. And that's to understand consciousness.

How can consciousness affect our physical universe in real time? Why does it affect it as such?

Your consciousness would affect physical universe including my consciousness.
My consciousness would affect physical universe including your consciousness.
So I am skeptical about setting two categories, consciousness and physical universe.

 

[Vanadium 50]

How can consciousness affect our physical universe in real time?

I just consciously moved a pen from the right side of my desk to the left, thus affecting the physical universe.

 

[Immortal68]

I just consciously moved a pen from the right side of my desk to the left, thus affecting the physical universe.

Right I understand that. But how can our perception and our conscious mind affect things like particles in the quantum realm? How do these things relate? Affecting the exact position of a pen makes sense but somehow affecting something that you cannot see, with your conscious mind, is just strange. Sure I understand no one knows the answer, but you might have some idea. It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, just a thought would suffice.

 

[Vanadium 50]

This sounds a lot like new age woo.

For this to be scientific, there has to be a repeatable measurement somewhere. I don't see it.

 

[DaveC426913]

...somehow affecting something that you cannot see, with your conscious mind, is just strange.

Well, uh ... the brain is an electro-chemical device. It emits electrical signals that can be detected by probes.
So, technically, you can trigger the probes using "only your mind". We can amplify these and display them on a graph.

 

[Dale]

But how can our perception and our conscious mind affect things like particles in the quantum realm?

To the best of our available knowledge only through our bodies.

We don’t do speculation here. If you find a suitable scientific study that you would like to discuss then please open a new thread to discuss that paper.