Western science suggests consciousness emerges from complex brain computation, while Eastern phil... more Western science suggests consciousness emerges from complex brain computation, while Eastern philosophy views consciousness as intrinsic to the universe. Among Western scientific approaches, higher-order thought (HOT) theories view the brain hierarchically, with HOTs emanating from upper-level brain states downward to cause content of lower-level brain states to become conscious. The exact location of HOTs, and why their target states become conscious, are unknown. Here, we suggest HOT and the brain’s hierarchy extend downward in scale, inward, to deeper-order thought (DOT) processes in microtubules inside neurons. As proposed in the PenroseHameroff Orch OR theory, quantum computations in brain microtubules connect brain activities to the fundamental level of the universe. Deeper-order thought can bridge Eastern philosophy, physics, and brain mechanisms mediating consciousness. I. Consciousness, the brain, and higher-order thought Consciousness implies awareness, or subjective, phenomenal experience of internal and external worlds. Consciousness may also include a sense of self, of ‘what it is like to be,’ feelings, control of behavior, memory, thought, language, and (e.g., when we close our eyes, or meditate) internally generated memories, images, and geometric patterns. But what consciousness actually is remains unknown. Cognition is the ability to process information in biological or artificial systems. Cognitive information processes in the human brain (e.g., mental states, mental processes, thought or mind) are assumed to be mediated by neuronal synaptic computation, and may be either conscious or non-conscious. How does conscious cognition differ from non-conscious cognition? What is consciousness? In Eastern philosophy, the origins of consciousness are embedded in the universe. Brain activities connect to spiritual, higher-order processes that can guide conscious perceptions and actions. Individual conscious selves are viewed as part of a universal “sea” of intelligent awareness. This approach is generally considered “dualist,” and outside the realm of science.
The paper proposes that quantum theory implies a radically new notion of matter which has not bee... more The paper proposes that quantum theory implies a radically new notion of matter which has not been properly understood before David Bohm’s groundbreaking work. Bohm proposed that the fundamental particles of physics (such as electrons) are not merely pushed around mechanically by classical forces but are also able to respond to information. Information is thus assumed to be an objective commodity which can exist independently of the human mind and which actively guides or instructs physical processes. This notion of active information also applies in computational, biological and psychological phenomena, thus helping us to understand how the mental and the physical sides of reality are related. It may even help us to understand the nature of conscious experience. The latter part of the paper considers the deeper mathematical and physical background of quantum theory and suggests that we need to revise our basic assumptions about quantum objects, such as the role of the wave function.
Immanuel Kant famously thought that the presuppositions of Newtonian physics are the necessary co... more Immanuel Kant famously thought that the presuppositions of Newtonian physics are the necessary conditions of the possibility of experience in general – both “outer” and “inner” experience. Today we know, of course, that Newtonian physics only applies to a limited domain of physical reality and is radically inadequate in the quantum and relativistic domains. This gives rise to an interesting question: could the radical changes in physics suggest new conditions for the possibility of experience? In other words, does post-Newtonian physics suggest a post-Kantian view of human experience
In this paper we discuss the role of the individual in the Bohm theory, according to which a part... more In this paper we discuss the role of the individual in the Bohm theory, according to which a particle does appear to have an individuality, but one that is significantly different from a classical particle. In contrast however, Ladyman and Ross (2007) interpret an in-depth discussion by Brown, Elby and Weingard (1996) as implying that the properties normally associated with particles (mass, charge, etc.) are inherent only in the quantum field and not in the particles. Brown, Sj\"{o}qvist and Bacciagaluppi (1999) themselves are somewhat ambivalent suggesting that it might not be unreasonable to assume that in the Bohm theory properties such as mass and charge also reside in the particles (cf. French 2011 and French and Krause 2006). This suggests that whether or not particles are individuals in non-relativistic quantum theory is a genuinely open question in a stronger sense than Ladyman and Ross imply. After an appraisal of this discussion we go on to discuss the nature of Bohmi...
This paper explores the theme “quantum approaches to consciousness” by considering the work of on... more This paper explores the theme “quantum approaches to consciousness” by considering the work of one of the pioneers in the field. The physicist David Bohm (1917-1992) not only made important contrib ...
Western science suggests consciousness emerges from complex brain computation, while Eastern phil... more Western science suggests consciousness emerges from complex brain computation, while Eastern philosophy views consciousness as intrinsic to the universe. Among Western scientific approaches, higher-order thought (HOT) theories view the brain hierarchically, with HOTs emanating from upper-level brain states downward to cause content of lower-level brain states to become conscious. The exact location of HOTs, and why their target states become conscious, are unknown. Here, we suggest HOT and the brain’s hierarchy extend downward in scale, inward, to deeper-order thought (DOT) processes in microtubules inside neurons. As proposed in the PenroseHameroff Orch OR theory, quantum computations in brain microtubules connect brain activities to the fundamental level of the universe. Deeper-order thought can bridge Eastern philosophy, physics, and brain mechanisms mediating consciousness. I. Consciousness, the brain, and higher-order thought Consciousness implies awareness, or subjective, phenomenal experience of internal and external worlds. Consciousness may also include a sense of self, of ‘what it is like to be,’ feelings, control of behavior, memory, thought, language, and (e.g., when we close our eyes, or meditate) internally generated memories, images, and geometric patterns. But what consciousness actually is remains unknown. Cognition is the ability to process information in biological or artificial systems. Cognitive information processes in the human brain (e.g., mental states, mental processes, thought or mind) are assumed to be mediated by neuronal synaptic computation, and may be either conscious or non-conscious. How does conscious cognition differ from non-conscious cognition? What is consciousness? In Eastern philosophy, the origins of consciousness are embedded in the universe. Brain activities connect to spiritual, higher-order processes that can guide conscious perceptions and actions. Individual conscious selves are viewed as part of a universal “sea” of intelligent awareness. This approach is generally considered “dualist,” and outside the realm of science.
The paper proposes that quantum theory implies a radically new notion of matter which has not bee... more The paper proposes that quantum theory implies a radically new notion of matter which has not been properly understood before David Bohm’s groundbreaking work. Bohm proposed that the fundamental particles of physics (such as electrons) are not merely pushed around mechanically by classical forces but are also able to respond to information. Information is thus assumed to be an objective commodity which can exist independently of the human mind and which actively guides or instructs physical processes. This notion of active information also applies in computational, biological and psychological phenomena, thus helping us to understand how the mental and the physical sides of reality are related. It may even help us to understand the nature of conscious experience. The latter part of the paper considers the deeper mathematical and physical background of quantum theory and suggests that we need to revise our basic assumptions about quantum objects, such as the role of the wave function.
Immanuel Kant famously thought that the presuppositions of Newtonian physics are the necessary co... more Immanuel Kant famously thought that the presuppositions of Newtonian physics are the necessary conditions of the possibility of experience in general – both “outer” and “inner” experience. Today we know, of course, that Newtonian physics only applies to a limited domain of physical reality and is radically inadequate in the quantum and relativistic domains. This gives rise to an interesting question: could the radical changes in physics suggest new conditions for the possibility of experience? In other words, does post-Newtonian physics suggest a post-Kantian view of human experience
In this paper we discuss the role of the individual in the Bohm theory, according to which a part... more In this paper we discuss the role of the individual in the Bohm theory, according to which a particle does appear to have an individuality, but one that is significantly different from a classical particle. In contrast however, Ladyman and Ross (2007) interpret an in-depth discussion by Brown, Elby and Weingard (1996) as implying that the properties normally associated with particles (mass, charge, etc.) are inherent only in the quantum field and not in the particles. Brown, Sj\"{o}qvist and Bacciagaluppi (1999) themselves are somewhat ambivalent suggesting that it might not be unreasonable to assume that in the Bohm theory properties such as mass and charge also reside in the particles (cf. French 2011 and French and Krause 2006). This suggests that whether or not particles are individuals in non-relativistic quantum theory is a genuinely open question in a stronger sense than Ladyman and Ross imply. After an appraisal of this discussion we go on to discuss the nature of Bohmi...
This paper explores the theme “quantum approaches to consciousness” by considering the work of on... more This paper explores the theme “quantum approaches to consciousness” by considering the work of one of the pioneers in the field. The physicist David Bohm (1917-1992) not only made important contrib ...
Panpsychism is often thought to be an obviously mistaken doctrine, because it is considered to be... more Panpsychism is often thought to be an obviously mistaken doctrine, because it is considered to be completely inconceivable how the elementary particles of physics could possibly have proto-mental properties. This paper points out that quantum theory implies that elementary particles are far more subtle and strange than most contemporary physicalist philosophers assume. The paper discusses David Bohm’s famous “pilot wave” theory which implies that, say, an electron is a particle guided by a field carrying active information, the latter of which can be seen as a primitive mind-like quality.
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Papers by Paavo Pylkkanen