I read today that consciousness may be at least partly a quantum level phenomenon. Your thoughts?

Question

Quantum consciousness....

I'm paraphrasing but when a person dies, the cells dies and the atoms disperse into the ground but the quantum entanglement that existed in your active brain still exists. Might this play a part in consciousness? Might that entanglement BE partly or completely conscious or at least have the potential to be reconstructed in a brain? Far out stuff but it would have to follow the laws of physics.

This is an idea of Roger Penrose:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose#Physics_and_consciousness

Answer 1

you're getting closer to the truth ...

we create

Answer 2

The structures in the brain capable of quantum interaction are nothing more than the equivalents of quantum wells in a semi-conductor. They are, in essence, stochaistic.

Without those structures, the quantum effects would not happen, so, no, without the brain being alive, there would be no persistence of these quantum states.

It's further questionable if anything actually ends up entangled in the brain.

Answer 3

No, quite the opposite. It provides evidence that the ground of all being is consciousness, that the fundamental "stuff" of the universe is mind, not matter. What do you call a disembodied mind out of which all matter arises? Well, you can call it anything you like, and many people do, but it has been seen as divine since the dawn of mankind, and why shouldn't it be? After all, we ARE that mind; we were proudced in the big bang like everything else, which means there is just one quantum field that lies in the background of everything, one "I" experiencing the universe in many forms simultaneously. Furthermore (and this part is just speculation on my part, but it's fun to think about, and I think perfectly reasonable), if the complexity of the nerual networks that make up your brain can give rise to the "overmind" that you call your conscious self, then why couldn't the complexity of the wave patterns of the conscious matter and energy that make up the the universe give rise to an "overmind" that is aware of everything at once?

Answer 4

What's really interesting about it is that it is looking more and more all the time that entanglement is in no way time-dependent.
It's a block universe. We just need to wait until all of the people who've got too much pride invested in an arrow of time model to either relent or die.
Personally, I'm of the mind that it is reconstructed in a brain: your own at the moment of your birth. There is no death. The tunnel of light's got an obstetrician at the end of it.

Answer 5

I agree, regarding consciousness during life. Many neurons actually adjust their sensitivity to keep their sensitivities at a level where quantum variations are most significant. After death, they can no longer fire. There is no matrix in which the quantum states can manifest.

Answer 6

It's a very interesting idea... and could potentially be used to explore the idea of a universal consciousness...

Answer 7

Since electrons can occupy two spaces at once, if I rub this quartz crystal enough will I become one with the great Yanni?

Answer 8

maybe there's another level of reality beyond the material world that doesn't follow the laws of material physics and scientists should concentrate on practical things

Answer 9

I believe so and have read many convincing arguements for it
and this actually poses some very serious questions about my own beliefs

Answer 10

Sounds messy.

Answer 11

May, at least, partly......all those terms come together to make this NON-FACTUAL, or, speculation.

Me no buy it.