Consciousness is something that we know very little about but is often defined as being a person’s awareness of something. But, some scientists even argue that consciousness does not exist outside our imaginations. Some believe it exists independently. The fact that we know so little in this area has led researchers to explore a possible link between our minds and the quantum world.
The “observer effect” challenges one of the basic principles of science – that there is an observable and objective reality that exists regardless of if we’re looking at it or not. Finding out that observing and measuring quantum effects changes the way in which they behave is worrying but also suggests that consciousness is a part of this quantum theory. But even without considering the observer effect, quantum mechanics may still play a part in consciousness. This is the theory proposed by British physicist Roger Penrose. He also believed that quantum events may cause molecular structures in the brain to trigger neurons in various ways by altering their state and that quantum effects within the brain do in fact exist.
As superior as the human brain is because of its high-level pattern processing skills, it’s not perfect in any way and has been known to see meaningful patterns where none exists. This in itself can be a problem. Are our brains seeing the effects of quantum mechanics when in fact there really isn’t any? Or, is there some kind of connection between the human consciousness and quantum mechanics? If we can unfold any details about one field it may reveal secrets about both fields. Any advancements in quantum computing, for example, could help us better understand augmentation and uploading consciousness. But for now, quantum effects within the brain are still treated with skepticism, and until substantial proof can e shown, it’s likely to remain this way.
Related Links;
- Patternicity: Finding Meaningful Patterns in Meaningless Noise / Scientific American
- Discovery of quantum vibrations in ‘microtubules’ corroborates the theory of consciousness / Phys.org
- The Strange Link Between Human Mind and Quantum Physics / BBC
- Superior pattern processing is the essence of the evolved human brain / NCBI
- Scientists Are Exploring a Link Between Our Minds and the Quantum World / Futurism
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