Can Science `explain' Consciousness ?
M K Samal
arXiv Preprint Archive February 24, 2000 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Physics.gen-ph Quantum physics Cognitive science |
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness can be explained through a definition of communication that exploits quantum superposition, making it communicable if not computable. |
Abstract
Consciousness is the process by which one attributes `meaning' to the world. Considering F$\phi$llesdal's definition of `meaning' as the joint product of all `evidence' that is available to those who `communicate', we conclude that science can, not only reduce all the {\em evidence} to a Basic Entity (we call BE), but also can `explain' consciousness once a suitable definition for {\em communication} is found that exploits the quantum superposition principle to incorporate the fuzzyness of our experience. Consciousness may be beyond `computability', but it is not beyond `communicability'.
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