The Debate about Consciousness

Abstract

Abstract: As it turns out, it was Wigner who articulated and vigorously defended the role of consciousness in the context of the ‘measurement problem’ and in this chapter his views and arguments are presented. Also described are his interactions with Polanyi, who famously developed the notion of ‘tacit’ knowledge, and Margenau, with whom he collaborated in the well-known debate with Putnam and Shimony. This was a pivotal moment in the history of philosophical reflections on the foundations of quantum physics and when the dust had cleared, the idea that definite outcomes were obtained through the intervention of consciousness had apparently been firmly dismissed. The bulk of the chapter deals with the ins and outs of that debate, covering Putnam’s and Shimony’s arguments and Wigner and Margenau’s responses. Both sides cite London and Bauer’s ‘little book’ (as it was called by Wigner), even repeating passages from it, but as we shall see, both sides misunderstood the core idea (although Shimony later acknowledged that his criticisms had missed the point).