Qualia are Quantum Leaps
arXiv Preprint Archive April 13, 2011 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe author proposes that subjective experience (qualia) and the collapse of quantum wave functions are identical processes. If this identity holds, it would simultaneously solve two long-standing puzzles: the measurement problem in quantum mechanics (why observations yield definite outcomes) and the hard problem of consciousness (why there is subjective experience). The argument is presented as a philosophical contemplation rather than an empirical claim, drawing on concepts from quantum mechanics and philosophy of mind.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Physics.hist-ph Quantum consciousness Quantum mechanics quant-ph Neuroscience Qualia |
| Key finding | Proposes that subjective experience and quantum state reductions are identical, thereby resolving both the quantum measurement problem and the hard problem of consciousness. |
Abstract
I contemplate the idea that the subjective world and quantum state reductions are one and the same. If true, this resolves with one stroke both the quantum mechanical measurement problem and the hard problem of consciousness.