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'Shadows of the Mind'
'Shadows of the Mind' © 1997−2009, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge. Permission is granted to print and copy this page on paper for non−commercial use. For other uses, including electronic redistribution, please contact us. Jan 2002 Reviews 'Shadows of the Mind' reviewed by Patrick R. Andrews Shadows of the Mind Roger Penrose This book attempts to take a firm grip on a corner of the slippery issue of consciousness. It is directly related to Roger Penrose's earlier, hugely successful work, The Emperor's New Mind. Although much space is devoted to painstaking replies to the criticisms made of the earlier book, this is not simply a sequel. It contains a number of new ideas, some of which are still being actively debated seven years after the book was first published. Penrose signposts some alternative routes through his extensive material, depending upon whether the reader requires a closely−argued treatment or a painless overview. Although few equations appear in the text, there are several pages of symbolic reasoning that a casual reader may find daunting. The decision not to get too tied up in definitions of mind, consciousness, thinking and intelligence etc, is made explicit at an early stage and these are treated largely as synonyms throughout. The book is divided into two parts. Part I attempts to convince the reader that the brain can achieve at least one thing which no computer ever can. What Penrose seems to be getting at, in essence, is that mathematicians are capable of reaching conclusions, via some mysterious process of insight, which are, in principle, beyond computation in the sense that Turing understood it (ie a step−by−step recipe applied to input data in order to generate an output). -
14 Consciousness in the Universe an Updated Review of the “Orch
“9x6” b2237 Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach FA Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach R. R. Poznanski, J. A. Tuszynski and T. E. Feinberg Copyright © 2016 World Scientific, Singapore. 14 CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNIVERSE AN UPDATED REVIEW OF THE “ORCH OR” THEORY Stuart R. Hameroff,* and Roger Penrose† * Anesthesiology and Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, Banner-University Medical Center The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA † Mathematical Institute and Wadham College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Abstract The nature of consciousness, the mechanism by which it occurs in the brain, and its ultimate place in the universe are unknown. We proposed in the mid 1990’s that consciousness depends on biologically “orchestrated” coherent quantum processes in collections of microtubules within brain neurons, that these quantum processes correlate with, and regulate, neuronal synaptic and membrane activity, and that the continuous Schrödinger evolution of each such process terminates in accordance with the specific Diósi–Penrose (DP) scheme of “ objective reduction” (“OR”) of the quantum state. This orchestrated OR activity (“Orch OR”) is taken to result in moments of conscious awareness and/or choice. The DP form of OR is related to the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and space–time geometry, so Orch OR suggests that there is a connection between the brain’s biomolecular processes and the basic structure of the universe. Here we review Orch OR in light of criticisms and developments in quantum biology, neuroscience, physics and cosmology. We also introduce novel suggestions of (1) beat frequencies of faster Orch OR microtubule dynamics (e.g. megahertz) as a possible source 517 bb2237_Ch-14.indd2237_Ch-14.indd 551717 44/15/2016/15/2016 112:31:372:31:37 PPMM FA b2237 Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach “9x6” 518 S. -
Unity Consciousness: a Quantum Biomechanical Foundation
Theoretical UNITY CONSCIOUSNESS: A QUANTUM BIOMECHANICAL FOUNDATION Thomas E. Beck, Ph.D. & Janet E. Colli, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Citing research in consciousness, quantum physics, biophysics and cosmology, we propose the collective amplification of quantum effects as the basis for scientifically describing Kundalini awakening, and the higher-order, emergent phenomenon of Unity consciousness, Such alterations of consciousness have their origin in quantum-scale processes, such as self-induced transparency, superradiance, superpositions, quantum tunneling, and Bose-Einstein condensa tion, Microtubules are considered to be key components in non-local, quantum processes critical to human consciousness, We postulate that bundles of fibers (neural cells), each containing numerous microtubule "lasers" acting in unison, collectively result in a massive surge of light energy to the brain, The sudden onset and radically altered nature of such states are consis tent with a model based on the activation of a laser. The liquid crystalline nature of the human body likely provides a foundation for the non-local aspect ofVniry consciousness, The unifYing paradigm of the "quantum hologram" is introduced ro apply quantum properties to macroscopic events, KEYWORDS: Uniry consciousness, kundalini, microtubules, non-local communication, Bose-Einstein condensate, liquid crystals, dark matter, zero-point energy Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine • Volume 14 • Number 3 • Page 267 INTRODUCTION he history of humanity has been irreversibly altered by a relative few individuals who have attained the highest state of consciousness known T to humankind: Unity consciousness, described as a merging with the Oneness of all Creation. The historical figures of Buddha ("the illumined one"), Jesus Christ, and the contemporary spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, exemplity those who have contributed to uplifting consciousness through their enlightenment. -
Arxiv:1107.3800V2 [Physics.Hist-Ph] 30 Nov 2011 Uzigfaue,Sc Stemdfiaino Elt Ythe by Reality of Ment
Quantum magic: A skeptical perspective Giorgio Torrieri FIAS, J.W. Goethe Universit¨at, Frankfurt A.M., Germany torrieri@fias.uni-frankfurt.de Quantum mechanics (QM) has attracted a considerable amount of mysticism, in public opinion and even among academic researches, due to some of its conceptually puzzling features, such as the modification of reality by the observer and entangle- ment. We argue that many popular ”quantum paradoxes” stem from a confusion be- tween mathematical formalism and physics; We demonstrate this by explaining how the paradoxes go away once a different formalism, usually inconvenient to perform calculations, is used. we argue that some modern developments, well-studied in the research literature but generally overlooked by both popular science and teaching- level literature, make quantum mechanics (that is, ”canonical” QM, not extensions of it) less conceptually problematic than it looks at first sight. When all this is looked at together, most “puzzles” of QM are not much different from the well-known paradoxes from probability theory. Consequently, “explanations of QM” involving physical action of consciousness or an infinity of universes are ontologically unnecessary arXiv:1107.3800v2 [physics.hist-ph] 30 Nov 2011 2 I. INTRODUCTION All the way from its origins, the theory of quantum mechanics (QM) [1] has enjoyed a resounding experimental success, but has elicited unease regarding its philosophical impli- cations, and place as a scientific theory. A lot of research effort on the part of distinguished scientists [2–4] (founders of QM among them! [5–8]) has gone into “interpreting” quantum mechanics. This effort has produced quite a few candidates for interpretation, ranging from the sensible but ambiguous Copenhagen interpretation (“quantum variables only refer to what can be known to us, rather than any objective reality”) esoteric ideas (such as “many universes” and a role of consciousness in quantum physics), less ontologically troublesome extensions (“hidden variables”) as well as quite a few “paradoxes”. -
What Is Consciousness? Artificial Intelligence, Real Intelligence, Quantum Mind, and Qualia
What Is Consciousness? Artificial Intelligence, Real Intelligence, Quantum Mind, And Qualia Stuart A. Kauffman1 and Andrea Roli2,3 1Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA 2Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Campus of Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Universit`adi Bologna 3European Centre for Living Technology, Venezia, Italy July 24, 2021 Abstract We approach the question \What is Consciousness?" in a new way, not as Descartes' \systematic doubt", but as how organisms find their way in their world. Finding one's way involves finding possible uses of features of the world that might be beneficial or avoiding those that might be harmful. \Possible uses of X to accom- plish Y" are “Affordances”. The number of uses of X is indefinite (or unknown), the different uses are unordered and are not deducible from one another. All biological adaptations are either affordances seized by heritable variation and selection or, far faster, by the organism acting in its world finding uses of X to accomplish Y. Based on this, we reach rather astonishing conclusions: (1) Artificial General Intelligence based on Universal Turing Machines (UTMs) is not possible, since UTMs cannot “find” novel affordances. (2) Brain-mind is not purely classical physics for no classi- cal physics system can be an analogue computer whose dynamical behavior can be isomorphic to \possible uses". (3) Brain mind must be partly quantum|supported by increasing evidence at 6.0 sigma to 7.3 Sigma. (4) Based on Heisenberg's interpre- tation of the quantum state as \Potentia" converted to \Actuals" by Measurement, a natural hypothesis is that mind actualizes Potentia. -
"Orchestrated Objective Reduction"(Orch OR)
Orchestrated Objective Reduction of Quantum Coherence in Brain Microtubules: The "Orch OR" Model for Consciousness Stuart Hameroff & Roger Penrose, In: Toward a Science of Consciousness - The First Tucson Discussions and Debates, eds. Hameroff, S.R., Kaszniak, A.W. and Scott, A.C., Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 507-540 (1996) Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose ABSTRACT Features of consciousness difficult to understand in terms of conventional neuroscience have evoked application of quantum theory, which describes the fundamental behavior of matter and energy. In this paper we propose that aspects of quantum theory (e.g. quantum coherence) and of a newly proposed physical phenomenon of quantum wave function "self-collapse"(objective reduction: OR -Penrose, 1994) are essential for consciousness, and occur in cytoskeletal microtubules and other structures within each of the brain's neurons. The particular characteristics of microtubules suitable for quantum effects include their crystal-like lattice structure, hollow inner core, organization of cell function and capacity for information processing. We envisage that conformational states of microtubule subunits (tubulins) are coupled to internal quantum events, and cooperatively interact (compute) with other tubulins. We further assume that macroscopic coherent superposition of quantum-coupled tubulin conformational states occurs throughout significant brain volumes and provides the global binding essential to consciousness. We equate the emergence of the microtubule quantum coherence with pre-conscious processing which grows (for up to 500 milliseconds) until the mass-energy difference among the separated states of tubulins reaches a threshold related to quantum gravity. According to the arguments for OR put forth in Penrose (1994), superpositioned states each have their own space-time geometries. -
Are Dark Photons Behind Biophotons? Contents
CONTENTS 1 Are dark photons behind biophotons? M. Pitk¨anen, June 19, 2019 Email: [email protected]. http://tgdtheory.com/public_html/. Recent postal address: Rinnekatu 2-4 A 8, 03620, Karkkila, Finland. Contents 1 Introduction 4 1.1 Basic Facts About Bio-Photons . .5 1.2 Basic Ideas Of TGD Based Model Of Bio-Photons . .6 1.3 Are Biophonons Also Predicted? . .8 2 Bio-Photons In TGD Universe 9 2.1 The Origin Of Bio-Photons In Standard Physics Framework . .9 2.2 The Origin Of Bio-Photons In TGD Universe . .9 2.2.1 Do dark photons give rise to biophotons? . .9 2.2.2 Has the decay of dark photons to visible photons observed in astrophysical scales? . 11 2.3 Biophotons, Dissipation, And De-Coherence . 11 2.4 What Is The Origin Of The Hyperbolic Decay Law? . 12 3 Do Dark Photons Transform To Bio-Photons? 13 3.1 Basic Ideas . 14 3.2 The Key Challenge . 15 3.3 What I Did Not Understand . 15 3.4 TGD Inspired Comments . 16 3.4.1 Do motor actions of the magnetic body induce squeezing? . 16 3.4.2 What is behind the hyperbolic decay law of the squeezed state? . 17 3.4.3 Where do bio-photons get their energy? . 18 3.4.4 Squeezing and entanglement . 18 CONTENTS 2 4 How Could Dark Photons And Phonons Relate To Consciousness? 18 4.1 What Does Bomb Testing Have To Do With Cognition And Consciousness? . 19 4.1.1 Memory recall as an interaction free measurement . 20 4.2 Why Vision And Hearing Are So Fundamental For Cognition? . -
Understanding the Consciousness Field
The Open Information Science Journal, 2011, 3, 23-27 23 Open Access Understanding the Consciousness Field J.J. Hurtak* and Desiree Hurtak The Academy For Future Science, California, USA, P.O. Box FE, Los Gatos, CA 95031, USA Abstract: Textbooks tell us that our brain is the source of all thought. Like a computer, we learn to react and make deci- sions based on past programming and what we have learned from our environment. However, now scientists like Henry Stapp from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stuart Hameroff from the University of Arizona are researching brain functions that work beyond classical physics. They are no longer content with seeing thought as being simply the chemical processing of neurotransmitters. What has emerged are theoretical proposals that the brain’s processing of in- formation takes place through quantum mechanical processes where consciousness, itself, is being seen as part of a sec- ond-order quantum field. Quantum mechanical processes have provided researchers with an entirely new field of understanding of thought and memory processes. They are examining the chemical processes in the ionic flow of elements (e.g., in actin filaments) which are equally if not more complex than the chemical neurological processes. In quantum mechanics, electrons behave like waves. In a quantum world, there exists also the wave-particle duality of matter, where the wave can contain all the dynamical information about the system, in the manner of a hologram. This means that the total information of the system is available in every part and information becomes active in a “non-local” environment. -
Quantum Aspects of Life / Editors, Derek Abbott, Paul C.W
Quantum Aspectsof Life P581tp.indd 1 8/18/08 8:42:58 AM This page intentionally left blank foreword by SIR ROGER PENROSE editors Derek Abbott (University of Adelaide, Australia) Paul C. W. Davies (Arizona State University, USAU Arun K. Pati (Institute of Physics, Orissa, India) Imperial College Press ICP P581tp.indd 2 8/18/08 8:42:58 AM Published by Imperial College Press 57 Shelton Street Covent Garden London WC2H 9HE Distributed by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Quantum aspects of life / editors, Derek Abbott, Paul C.W. Davies, Arun K. Pati ; foreword by Sir Roger Penrose. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-84816-253-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-84816-253-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-84816-267-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-84816-267-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Quantum biochemistry. I. Abbott, Derek, 1960– II. Davies, P. C. W. III. Pati, Arun K. [DNLM: 1. Biogenesis. 2. Quantum Theory. 3. Evolution, Molecular. QH 325 Q15 2008] QP517.Q34.Q36 2008 576.8'3--dc22 2008029345 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Photo credit: Abigail P. Abbott for the photo on cover and title page. Copyright © 2008 by Imperial College Press All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher. -
Quantum Consciousness Theory Offers Not Just a Solution T
Author’s version, published in R. Gennaro ed. The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness. London: Routledge, 2018. Chapter 16 Quantum Theories of Consciousness Paavo Pylkkänen “…quantum consciousness theory offers not just a solution to the mind-body problem, or additionally, to the nature of life and of time… And it does not just solve the Agent-Structure and Explanation-Understanding problems, or explain quantum decision theory's success in predicting otherwise anomalous behavior. What the theory offers is all of these things and more, and with them a unification of physical and social ontology that gives the human experience a home in the universe. With its elegance … comes not just extraordinary explanatory power, but extraordinary meaning, which at least this situated observer finds utterly lacking in the classical worldview. … I hope I have given you reason to suspend your belief that we really are just classical machines, and thus to suspend your disbelief in quantum consciousness long enough to try assuming it in your work. If you do, perhaps you will find your own home in the universe too” (Alexander Wendt, Quantum Mind and Social Science, 2015: 293). 1. Introduction Much of contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive neuroscience presupposes that the physical framework to use when explaining mind and consciousness is the framework of classical physics (and neurophysiological and/or computational processes embedded in this framework); it is typically assumed that no ideas from quantum theory or relativity theory are needed. Of course, not all theories of 1 consciousness are trying to reduce conscious experience to mechanistic physical interactions at the neural level, but this tacit commitment to the classical physics of Newton and Maxwell introduces a strong mechanistic element into contemporary theorizing about consciousness, at least whenever the theories make a reference to physical processes. -
More Neural Than Thou (Reply to Pat Churchland's "Brainshy")
More Neural Than Thou (Reply to Pat Churchland's "Brainshy") Stuart Hameroff in: Toward a Science of Consciousness II: The 1996 Tucson Discussions and Debates Editors Stuart Hameroff, Alfred Kaszniak, Alwyn Scott MIT Press, Cambridge MA 1998 Introduction: Neuralism In "Brainshy: Non-neural theories of conscious experience," (this volume) Patricia Churchland considers three "non-neural" approaches to the puzzle of consciousness: 1) Chalmers' fundamental information, 2) Searle's "intrinsic" property of brain, and 3) Penrose-Hameroff quantum phenomena in microtubules. In rejecting these ideas, Churchland flies the flag of "neuralism." She claims that conscious experience will be totally and completely explained by the dynamical complexity of properties at the level of neurons and neural networks. As far as consciousness goes, neural network firing patterns triggered by axon-to-dendrite synaptic chemical transmissions are the fundamental correlates of consciousness. There is no need to look elsewhere. However Churchland's "neuralism" and allegiance to the brain-as-computer doctrine obscures inconvenient details. For example: 1. Neurotransmitter vesicle release is probabilistic (and possibly non-computable). Only about 15% of axonal action potentials reaching pre-synaptic terminals result in actual release of neurotransmitter vesicle. Beck and Eccles (1992) suggested quantum indeterminacy acts here. 2. Apart from chemical synapses, primitive electrotonic gap junctions may play an important role in consciousness. For example gap junctions may mediate coherent 40 Hz-type activity implicated in binding in vision and self (Jibu, 1990; Hameroff, 1996). 3. It is quite possible that consciousness occurs primarily in dendritic-dendritic processing and that axonal firings support primarily automatic, non-conscious activities (e.g. -
Shadows of the Mind: a Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness Pdf
FREE SHADOWS OF THE MIND: A SEARCH FOR THE MISSING SCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS PDF Roger Penrose | 480 pages | 03 Oct 1995 | Vintage Publishing | 9780099582113 | English | London, United Kingdom Shadows of the Mind - Wikipedia Skip to search form Skip to main content You are currently Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness. Some features of the site may not work correctly. Penrose Published Psychology, Computer Science. From the Publisher: A New York Times bestseller when it appeared inRoger Penrose's The Emperor's New Mind was universally hailed as a marvelous survey of modern physics as well as a brilliant reflection on the human mind, offering a new perspective on the scientific landscape and a visionary glimpse of the possible future of science. Save to Library. Create Alert. Launch Research Feed. Share This Paper. Penrose Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach. Arora, B. Barak Capra, P. Luisi Figures and Topics from this paper. Citation Type. Has PDF. Publication Type. More Filters. On Gravity's role in Quantum State Reduction. Open Access. Research Feed. Consciousness and Complexity. View 1 excerpt, cites background. Artificial Intelligence: A New Synthesis. Can quantum probability provide a new direction for cognitive modeling? The Newell Test for a theory of cognition. Dynamical Cognitive Science. View 4 excerpts, cites background. References Publications referenced by this paper. Minds, Brains, and Programs. Highly Influential. View 4 excerpts, references background. A logical calculus of the ideas immanent in nervous activity. Simulating physics with computers. Neural networks and physical systems with Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness collective computational abilities.