Physics
Quantum mechanics, objective reality, and the problem of consciousness
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The hard problem of consciousness is the problem of understanding how physical processes in the brain could give rise to conscious experience. In this paper, I suggest that in order to understand the relationship between consciousness and the physical world, we need to probe deeply into the nature of physical reality. This leads us to quantum physics and to a second explanatory gap: that between quantum and classical reality. I will seek a philosophical framework that can address these two gaps simultaneously. Our analysis of quantum mechanics will naturally lead us to the notion of a hidden reality and to the postulate that consciousness is an integral component of this reality. The framework proposed in the paper provides the philosophical underpinnings for a theory of consciousness while satisfactorily resolving the interpretation problem in quantum mechanics without the need to alter its mathematical structure. I also discuss some implications for a scientific theory of consciousness.
Publication Title
Journal of Consciousness Studies
Publication Date
11-2014
Volume
21
Issue
11-12
First Page
57
Last Page
80
ISSN
1355-8250
Repository Citation
Mukhopadhyay, Ranjan, "Quantum mechanics, objective reality, and the problem of consciousness" (2014). Physics. 153.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_physics/153
