Quantum Theory In Relation To Consciousness

ABSTRACT

Behavior of the brain or, in other words, material brain activity is in some way correlated to the consciousness or mental activity. Since it is the most fundamental theory about the matter that is currently available, in efforts to understand the consciousness we can assume that the Quantum theory can be helpful. Various steps and studies have been carried out to achieve the extent of relation of quantum theory to the different neurophysiological levels of descriptions. In past and in current scenario efforts have been made to adopt quantum theory in different ways that correlate it to consciousness. The concept that this is solely a quantum effect and does not work for a classical case is also discussed.

Key Words: Computability,

Quantum theoretical terms such as entanglement, collapse, superposition, complementarity, and others are used without specific reference to how they are defined exactly and how they are useful for the specific situations. Conscious acts are just hypothesized as interpretable and computable analogously to physical acts of measurement or correlations in psychological systems are just hypothesized as interpretable analogously to physical involvement. Such accounts may produce captivating science fiction, and they may even be relevant to inspire nuclei of ideas to be worked out in detail. But unless this whole work leads beyond pure metaphors and analogies, they do not yet constitute scientific progress. A perspective which falls into this category will not be discussed in this contribution. Another category includes approaches that use the status quo of present quantum theory to elaborate neurophysiological and/or neuropsychological procedure. Von Neumann in the 1930s initiated the approach and has the longest history, later taken up by Wigner, and currently championed by Stapp. This is characterized as the proposal to identify intentional conscious acts with physical state reductions. Clearly, such identification is a much stronger statement than a mere metaphor or analogy. The third category refers to clearer and

The experimental and empirical science is based on finding correlations between states and properties of observed systems. By contrast, the concept of causation (or causality) is used to make sense of correlations. [9] This has been very successful and result producing. Thus we can say, correlation is a descriptive term with experimental relevance, while causation is an explanatory term associated with theoretical attempts to understand correlations. Causation implicit correlations between cause and effect, but this does not always apply the other way around. In physics, for instance, there are four basic kinds of interactions (electromagnetic, weak, strong, and gravitational) which aid to explain the interconnection that are observed in physical systems. When we talk about the mind-matter problem, the situation is more difficult. Far from a theoretical understanding in this field, the existing body of knowledge basically consists of empirical correlations between material and mental states. These interconnections are illustrative, not explanatory; and are not causally conditioned. It is (for some purposes) interesting to know that particular brain areas are activated during particular mental activities; but this does not, of course, explain why they are. Thus, it would be early to talk about