In this article, a timeless and spaceless theory of consciousness in terms of quantum entanglement is proposed. It is shown that time and consciousness can be spontaneously emerged and, thus, be defined by separating a subsystem from a much bigger quantum system. The mass and relative distances are recognized as functions of the entanglement entropies between separated systems and the classical background space can be restored in terms of these relative distances. We carefully examine the world with two coexisting consciousnesses. By equivalence principle of consciousness, the criterion of whether an entity is conscious or not is formulated implying that nowadays robots cannot be conscious. In addition, the relativity of intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of consciousness is discussed which might reveal the intricate connections between material and spiritual worlds at the deepest level. This relativity together with the new interpretation of mass further implies that consciousness has a negative mass, but this counterintuitive prediction needs to be verified by future experiments.
NeuroQuantology | September 2013 | Volume 11 | Issue 3 | Page 431-442
In this article, a timeless and spaceless theory of consciousness in terms of quantum entanglement is proposed. It is shown that time and consciousness can be spontaneously emerged and, thus, be defined by separating a subsystem from a much bigger quantum system. The mass and relative distances are recognized as functions of the entanglement entropies between separated systems and the classical background space can be restored in terms of these relative distances. We carefully examine the world with two coexisting consciousnesses. By equivalence principle of consciousness, the criterion of whether an entity is conscious or not is formulated implying that nowadays robots cannot be conscious. In addition, the relativity of intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of consciousness is discussed which might reveal the intricate connections between material and spiritual worlds at the deepest level. This relativity together with the new interpretation of mass further implies that consciousness has a negative mass, but this counterintuitive prediction needs to be verified by future experiments.
This paper introduces a theoretical framework that bridges the conceptual divide between quantum mechanics and relativity by proposing a fundamental building block of the universe: the “Space-Time* quantum.” The theory posits that every object possesses an inherent property, Time* — defined as the reciprocal of its intrinsic frequency. The Space-Time* quantum is a composite entity, consisting of a timeless space energy and a kinetic Time* energy. This framework provides a new perspective on wave-particle duality, the double-slit experiment, and quantum entanglement. It re-examines the principles of Special Relativity, offering a conceptual and visual explanation of phenomena such as time dilation and length contraction as a consequence of changes in the Space-Time quanta. The theory also provides an alternative view on the origin of the universe and the nature of gravity, suggesting that gravitational effects arise from an energy deficiency rather than a curvature of spacetime. This paper establishes a conceptual foundation for further mathematical development to test and validate these new insights.
In 'Superpsychism', Susan Schneider and Mark Bailey (this issue) propose that space-time and ordinary (human-level) consciousness both emerge from a fundamental, non-spatio-temporal level of reality consisting of a network of maximally coherent, zero entropy quantum entanglement relations, termed prototime, which also instantiates a fundamental form of consciousness, termed superconsciousness. We raise some objections to this view, considered as an explanation or reduction of space-time, as an interpretation of quantum mechanics, and as a theory of consciousness, questioning the extent of its explanatory advantages in each of these areas.
Abstract: Quantum entanglement stands as the most counterintuitive phenomenon in quantum mechanics, with the EPR paradox and Bell test experiments having long fueled persistent debates concerning local realism and nonlocal correlations. Mainstream interpretations either presuppose hidden variables inherent to microscopic particles or introduce ad hoc physical postulates such as many-worlds branching or spontaneous collapse, yet none can dissolve the logical paradox of "spooky action at a distance" from the cognitive foundations. This paper takes as its sole inferential basis the theoretical framework proposed in Discrimination Mind and Wavefunction Collapse: A Novel Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Based on the Temporal Resolution of Consciousness, and draws upon the mathematical conclusions of the von Neumann measurement chain, the pratyakṣa-anumāna (direct perception vs. conceptual discrimination) cognitive model from Yogācāra Buddhism, and the core dynamics of conscious temporal sampling to reconstruct a comprehensive explanatory system for quantum entanglement across five dimensions: ontology, measurement dynamics, temporal scaling, epistemological foundations, and compatibility with Bell inequalities. [The "global indivisible quantum state" discussed herein is strictly limited to indecomposable pure entangled states (e.g., Bell states, GHZ states); for separable states, although the mathematics permits independent subsystem descriptions, they remain within the same untruncated von Neumann chain in the global evolution, and their failure to exhibit nonlocal correlations is precisely the result of anumāna being able to lock them separately.] The central argument reveals: the bipartition of particles, spatial segmentation, and independent objects are all cognitive slices manufactured by human anumāna (discrimination mind) based on finite temporal resolution; entanglement is not an intrinsic nonlocal force of microscopic particles, but rather a holistic appearance presented by globally unsegmented quantum states under observations with low temporal resolution; the global entanglement chain can only be uniformly truncated through human conceptual discrimination operations, with no instantaneous cross-spatial signal transmission involved. The locking of the global entanglement chain is equivalent to a retrospective anumāna validation of the initial preparation conditions—that is, a single discrete sampling by anumāna simultaneously defines the initial boundary conditions of the entangled system and all subsequent correlations. The entire explanatory framework introduces no additional ad hoc physical postulates, inheriting from the original theory only "the anumāna equipped with temporal locking function" as its transcendental intuitive axiom, while relying on the original theory's three-tiered experimental designs to yield falsifiable predictions, thereby offering a unified interpretation of quantum nonlocal correlations that integrates physical logic, cognitive science, and Eastern theories of mind.
We address the relation between two apparently distinct problems: The quest for a deeper understanding of the nature of consciousness and the search for time and space as emergent structures in the quantum mechanical world. We also advance a toy-model proposal of emergence of time from a timeless unus mundus quantum-like space by using Aharonov's two state formalism of quantum mechanics. We further speculate on these issues within a quantum cognitive perspective with particular interest in two recent papers on this emerging field of science. One (Aerts et al) entails (as we argue) a panpsychist top-down approach to the problem of consciousness. The second paper (Blutner et al) proposes a quantum cognitive model for Jung's psychological type structure. We discuss these concepts and their relation with our main thesis, that time is a measure of individuality. One of our central motivations is to provide arguments that allows the mainstream physicist to take seriously a panpsychist worldview, a position that has been openly forwarded by many modern philosophers.
Time, space and entanglement are the main characters in this work. Their nature is still a great mystery in physics and we study here the possibility that these three phenomena are closely connected, showing how entanglement can be at the basis of the emergence of time and space within closed quantum systems. We revisit and extend the Page and Wootters theory that was originally introduced in order to describe the emergence of time through entanglement between subsystems in a globally static, quantum Universe. In the book, after providing a complete review of the salient aspects of the theory, we establish a connection with recent research on the foundations of statistical mechanics and we propose a new understanding of the thermalization process. Furthermore, we generalize the framework in order describe the spatial degree of freedom and we provide a model of 3+1 dimensional, quantum spacetime emerging from entanglement among different subsystems in a globally "timeless" and "positionless" Universe. Finally, via the Page and Wootters theory, the evolution of quantum clocks within a gravitational field is treated and a time dilation effect is obtained in agreement with the Schwarzschild solution.
In this paper, I propose a set of ideas to explain the phenomena of life and consciousness in the universe and their relation to the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Consciousness is described as a result of specific dynamical configurations of matter and fields aided by fundamental properties of nature proposed in this paper. First, I review the various theories of consciousness in current literature and come up with various hypotheses, definitions, and propositions to build a physical theory of consciousness. I introduce the concept of interaction binding of consciousness and discuss in detail how the brain gives rise to consciousness. I propose three sets of postulates on the physical foundations of consciousness from a quantum general relativistic background using the Quantum General Relativistic Framework, 5 proposals to understand time and reduction. A Quantum Reduction Free Will Equivalence Principle is discussed to link quantum reduction to conscious free will. I discuss the potential possibility of retrocausal effects on consciousness-influenced reduction probability. I discuss the concept of conscious being as a more general concept than conscious identity, as separate from conscious content, and its nature. I introduce the concept of classicum as an analog of the quantum, and discuss its relation to consciousness. I discuss mathematical measures to calculate the complexity of harmonic relational structures. I put these together in a set of propositions on the nature of consciousness and its relation to the nature of quantum phenomena. I discuss a mathematical model of interaction binding, and free will. I discuss theory and experiments to verify these