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The Natural Philosophy and Physics of Consciousness

Evan Harris Walker

Advances in Consciousness Research April 12, 2001 DOI: 10.1075/aicr.29.03wal (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Citations 4
Key points Proposes that consciousness originates from quantum mechanical phenomena in the brain and that this framework can resolve the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and the conflict between general relativity and quantum theory.

Abstract

Consciousness comes out of quantum mechanics — from the presence of tunneling in the brain, and from state vector collapse brought on by the brain’s comparison loops. This fact is tied to the machinery of the MSE — the modified Schrödinger equation. This understanding of consciousness also lets us resolve problems in neurophysiology and even in physics — the resolution of the disparity that has long beset general relativity vis a vis quantum theory. We use this understanding of consciousness as a quantum process to resolve the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and to obtain quantities that allow us to test experimentally the viability of this theory.