Assessment of Physical Processes for Describing Mechanism of Occurrence and Measurement of Consciousness

A review of five physical approaches to consciousness—von Neumann–Wigner, orchestrated objective reduction, integrated information, consciousness as a state of matter, and electromagnetic field—finds that all except the von Neumann–Wigner approach agree the brain generates and detects consciousness, though they offer distinct explanations. None of the approaches are close to experimental verification, and further work on experimental design and new theories is needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Currently, there is a growing number of proposed physical processes for describing the mechanism underlying the occurrence and measurement of consciousness. These bodies of knowledge have created multitudes of viewpoints about consciousness. It is also still unclear how they are related or whether they can be empirically distinguished. This study presents an assessment of physical processes for describing the occurrence and measurement of consciousness based on (1) the von Neumann–Wigner approach, (2) orchestrated objective reduction, (3) integrated information, (4) consciousness as a state of matter, and (5) electromagnetic field. The study underscores the significance, similarity, and weakness of these approaches. All approaches except the von Neumann–Wigner approach agree on the fact that the brain is the central region responsible for generating and detecting consciousness but with distinct explanations. Further, both surveyed approaches are still far from experimental verification. Further studies are needed on designing experimental verification and proposing new approaches.