Quantum consciousness: A synthesis of SOC and Orch-OR
Ceylon Journal of Medical Science December 10, 2024 Sahan Gunasinghe
The nature of consciousness and the mind-body problem remain unsolved, with conventional neurophysiological methods and theories like Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR), Higher Order Theory, Global Workspace Theory, and Integrated Information Theory having serious limitations. This theoretical work explores the connection between Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Physics by integrating Orch-OR theory and Self-Organized Criticality (SOC). SOC explains how complex systems naturally tend toward critical states, while Orch-OR posits that consciousness arises from quantum computations in neuronal microtubules. The integration proposes that microtubules function as quasi-critical systems undergoing second-order phase transitions, generating objective reduction and conscious experience. This provides a framework for how microtubules may orchestrate consciousness by integrating quantum coherence and criticality.