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Pedro Resende

2 papers in the library · publishing 2022

Papers

Qualia as physical measurements: a mathematical model of qualia and pure concepts

arXiv Preprint Archive March 20, 2022 Pedro Resende

A space of qualia is defined as a sober topological space whose points are qualia and whose open sets are pure concepts, carrying algebraic structure that models subjective time and logical abstraction. This structure parallels that of a space of physical measurements. The authors conjecture that qualia and measurements share the same nature, corresponding to fundamental processes that produce and store classical information, making the hard problem of consciousness and the measurement problem two facets of the same issue. The space of qualia does not depend on spacetime or a conscious agent but yields a derived geometric model of an observer. Intersubjectivity is established by relating observers in a way that yields a logical version of quantum superposition.

A physical approach to qualia and the emergence of conscious observers in qualia space

arXiv Preprint Archive March 20, 2022 Pedro Resende

Qualia, the subjective qualities of conscious experience, are physical because they are directly observable. The measurement problem in quantum mechanics and the hard problem of consciousness are the same problem. Physical measurements are fundamental, analogous to Wheeler's 'it from bit' idea. A mathematical definition of measurement space in physics is reinterpreted as a model of qualia. This panpsychist framework offers potential solutions to the combination problem—how micro-consciousnesses combine into macro-consciousness. The mathematical structure of measurement spaces, taken for granted in physics, requires justification for qualia, suggesting that the apparent solidity of physical reality is deeply rooted in how humans process information.