A QBist Ontology
arXiv Preprint Archive May 25, 2020 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractReality is relative to consciousness or experience, not a single mind-independent world. Drawing from QBism, Kant, Bohr, Schrödinger, the Upanishads, and Sri Aurobindo, the ontology proposes different poises of consciousness, including a universal consciousness where all individuals are aspects of one whole. This framework resolves philosophical issues in science arising from reifying instruments or calculational tools and from ignoring the human experiential context of science. It also addresses problems in the philosophy of mind, such as intentionality and Husserl's paradox of the mutual inclusion of self and world.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Quant-ph Physics.hist-ph Quantum physics Philosophy of science |
| Key finding | Proposes that reality is relative to consciousness or experience, with different poises of consciousness, to address unresolved issues in philosophy of science and mind. |
Abstract
This paper puts forward an ontology that is indebted to QBism, Kant, Bohr, Schr\"odinger, the philosophy of the Upanishads, and the evolutionary philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. Central to it is that reality is relative to consciousness or experience. Instead of a single mind-independent reality, there are different poises of consciousness, including a consciousness to which ``we are all really only various aspects of the One'' (Schr\"odinger). This ontology helps clear up unresolved issues in the philosophy of science, such as arise from the reification of either instruments or calculational tools, or from a disregard of the universal context of science, which is human experience. It further helps clear up unresolved issues in the philosophy of mind, among them the problem of intentionality and the dilemma posed by the mutual inclusion of self and world (Husserl's paradox of human subjectivity).