Quantum information theoretic approach to the hard problem of consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive April 13, 2025 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe hard problem of consciousness asks why an insentient brain should produce any conscious experience at all. This problem is made worse by classical physics' determinism, which leaves no causal role for emergent consciousness. A quantum information theoretic approach avoids these drawbacks by reductively identifying first-person subjective conscious states with unobservable quantum state vectors in the brain, while the observable brain is a third-person construct created by classical bits from environmental measurements of commuting quantum brain observables. Quantum resource theory implies that quantum features of consciousness, protected by no-go theorems, cannot be replicated by any classical physical device.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Q-bio.nc Consciousness Quantum mechanics Neuroscience Subjective experience |
| Key finding | Proposes that reductive identification of conscious states with quantum state vectors in the brain, combined with quantum resource theory, avoids the drawbacks of emergentist theories and implies that quantum features of consciousness cannot be replicated classically. |
Abstract
Functional theories of consciousness, based on emergence of conscious experiences from the execution of a particular function by an insentient brain, face the hard problem of consciousness of explaining why the insentient brain should produce any conscious experiences at all. This problem is exacerbated by the determinism characterizing the laws of classical physics, due to the resulting lack of causal potency of the emergent consciousness, which is not present already as a physical quantity in the deterministic equations of motion of the brain. Here, we present a quantum information theoretic approach to the hard problem of consciousness that avoids all of the drawbacks of emergence. This is achieved through reductive identification of first-person subjective conscious states with unobservable quantum state vectors in the brain, whereas the anatomically observable brain is viewed as a third-person objective construct created by classical bits of information obtained during the measurement of a subset of commuting quantum brain observables by the environment. Quantum resource theory further implies that the quantum features of consciousness granted by quantum no-go theorems cannot be replicated by any classical physical device.