Consciousness as a Decoherent Process: An Explanatory Model Connecting Quantum Physics and Cognitive Science
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 21, 2026 Jun Tao
A proposed Consciousness Decoherence Model uses quantum decoherence theory as a structured metaphor to explain how conscious awareness arises. Pre-conscious states are described as a superposition of multiple possible contents, and conscious awareness forms when decoherence—triggered by sensory input, interoception, and attention—stabilizes one specific state into reportable awareness. The model unifies diverse cognitive phenomena such as creative insight, decision paralysis, and psychopathological states under a single dynamical logic, and is compared with Global Neuronal Workspace Theory and Integrated Information Theory.