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Consciousness, the brain, and spacetime geometry.
1Department of Anesthesiology and Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. hameroff@u.arizona.edu, hameroff@arizona.edu
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|May 15, 2001
Summary
Consciousness may arise from quantum gravity processes within brain microtubules, proposing objective reduction (OR) as discrete conscious events. This theory links quantum mechanics and spacetime to the mind, suggesting non-computable experiences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Quantum Physics
- Theoretical Physics
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Conventional models of consciousness as emergent neuronal properties fail to explain its enigmatic features.
- Philosophical theories suggest a fundamental experiential medium (qualia) in reality, akin to Whitehead's 'occasions of experience'.
- Reconciling general relativity (spacetime) and quantum theory is crucial for understanding fundamental reality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To scientifically examine the possibility of consciousness arising from fundamental physical reality.
- To investigate Roger Penrose's objective reduction (OR) theory as a potential mechanism for consciousness.
- To propose a model where quantum gravity processes in the brain could account for conscious experience.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Roger Penrose's objective reduction (OR) framework, which links quantum gravity to quantum/classical borderline processes.
- Proposing that consciousness occurs when a system maintains quantum coherent superposition until an objective, quantum gravity-related threshold is reached.
- Nominating quantum computational OR processes within neuronal microtubules as the physical basis for consciousness.
Main Results:
- Objective reduction (OR) introduces non-computability, a key feature distinguishing consciousness from classical computation.
- Each OR event is theorized as an instantaneous, non-computable conscious experience, a 'Whitehead occasion of experience'.
- The proposed 'Orchestrated OR' (Orch OR) model suggests quantum computations in microtubules self-collapse into discrete conscious events.
Conclusions:
- The Orch OR model posits that quantum gravity-induced objective reduction in microtubules generates consciousness.
- This process links quantum mechanics, spacetime geometry, and neural activity, offering a novel perspective on consciousness.
- Conscious experience may be intrinsically connected to the fundamental physics governing spacetime structure.