ABSTRACT Because the validity of mathematics is premised on self‐reference avoidance, the validity or authenticity of the physical world must also be based on self‐reference avoidance. Based on this belief, this article explores the fundamental question of whether the collapse of the wave function is triggered by consciousness from the perspective of self‐reference avoidance. This article analyzes and points out that the real physical world (i.e., quantum systems) is self‐referential, and it contains uncomputable mathematical prohibitions, which are the essence of superposition. To avoid the paradox brought by self‐reference, quantum systems collapse from the superposition state to a definite state, which is the wave function collapse. In other words, the wave function collapse is essentially the spontaneous avoidance of self‐reference by the quantum system. Although this is related to the observer's consciousness, it is not directly triggered by consciousness, because, as part of an inseparable quantum system, the observer and the quantum system are inherently entangled. When the observer identifies themselves from the quantum system in an instant, they subconsciously avoid self‐reference, thereby gaining certainty.
Wave function collapse, traditionally viewed as a physical shift from quantum superposition to a definite state, may instead reflect information gain. This opinion piece proposes that collapse reduces uncertainty, quantifiable through Shannon and Von Neumann entropy, aligning with quantum information theory. Gy¨orgy Kampis’ referential information frames collapse as a relational, systems-based event. Experimental hints from single-photon and delayed-choice tests support this view, while philosophical connections to process philosophy and consciousness suggest reality is an informational process. This perspective challenges quantum ontologies and offers potential applications in biology and adaptive technologies, redefining how we understand complex systems.
This paper explores the intricate relationship between the observer, consciousness, and quantum mechanics, attempting to defend the interpretation of the wave function as a representation of consciousness. More precisely, in our framework, a quantum state, represented by a wave function, determines a state of consciousness related to the first-person experiences,
w, of the events
E, detected by senses. Building on Everett’s many-worlds interpretation, we argue that the wave function is not an objective universal entity, but rather one that is inherently associated with the first-person experiences
w∈P of an observer
O . The set
P also includes other observers,
O′, as subsets. We demonstrate that this proposal does not lead to solipsism, because there is no unique hierarchy of observers, as indicated above, but there are many possible hierarchies of observers, such that, e.g., the roles of the first-person observer,
O, and the third-person observer,
O′ are interchanged. The corresponding quantum states,
ψO and
ψO′, are elements of the space of all possible quantum states, the Hilbert space,
H. It is this larger space that we identify as the objective reality. Thus, our approach overcomes the main obstacle faced by researchers who tried to make sense of quantum mechanics, namely, the wall of solipsism. In this framework, the Everett many-worlds interpretation and the wave function collapse interpretation are not mutually exclusive but instead represent complementary perspectives within the hierarchy of observers, each offering insight into the underlying physics from a different vantage point.
Construal of observable facts or events, that is, the manner in which we understand reality, is based not only on mathematical formulas of a theory suggested as a reasonable explanation for physical phenomena (like general relativity or quantum mechanics), but also on a mathematical model of reasoning used to analyze and appraise statements regarding the objective world (for example, logic of one type or the other). Hence, every time that a certain construal of reality encounters a problem, there is a choice between a modification to the mathematical formalism of the physical theory and a change in the model of reasoning. A case in point is negative construal of quantum superposition causing the problem of definite outcomes. To be sure, according to the said construal, it is not the case that a system being in a superposition of states is exclusively in one of the states constituting the superposition, which in turn implies that macroscopically differing outcomes of observation may appear all at once. The usual approach to the problem of definite outcomes is to modify the quantum mathematical formalism by adding to it some extra postulates (for instance, the postulate of wave function collapse). However, since none of the extra postulates proposed so far has gained broad acceptance, one may try another avenue to resolve the problem, namely, to replace logic with an alternative mathematical model of reasoning. This possibility is studied in the present paper.
Simple self‐referential algorithms can model the essential logic of quantum systems and the quantum formalism is sufficiently rich to be able to model the output states of self‐referential alogrithms. We identify a key feature of self‐referentiality and show that both quantum mechanics and general relativity exhibit this feature in distinct yet complementary ways. This implies that self‐referentiality must be a foundational principle, but causality protection prohibits it being directly observed. Examining two facets of causality protection we find that quantum mechanics implements one and general relativity the other. The implication is that there can be no mathematically consistent theory for quantum gravity. However we can gain understanding of the constraints imposed on physical law when viewing a noncausal reality as if it were a causal sequence. We derive the 3+1 dimensionality of spacetime and quantum non‐locality and also possible rationale for the U(1) × SU(2) × SU(3) symmetry of the Standard Model. We also identify a number of key open problems.
Physical systems to exist in multiple states simultaneously. While standard quantumtheory permits superposition to persist indefinitely in the absence of mea-surement or environmental decoherence, this work proposes that superpositionstates possess an intrinsic temporal constraint. We argue that quantum super-position cannot remain stable forever and that every superposed system ischaracterized by a finite lifetime, beyond which the superposition inevitablybreaks down and the wave function collapses into a single definite state. Thisproposed time-limited superposition introduces an objective mechanism for wave-function collapse that does not rely on observation or classical interaction.Conceptual arguments, mathematical considerations, and potential experimentalimplications are discussed, including connections to macroscopic quantum lim-its, decoherence timescales, and fundamental temporal structure. If validated,this framework would offer a new perspective on the measurement problem andsuggest that time itself plays an active role in determining quantum outcomes.This perspective is conceptually related to objective collapse models such as theGhirardi–Rimini–Weber (GRW) theory and Penrose’s gravitationally inducedcollapse, while differing in that the collapse mechanism proposed here arisesfrom an intrinsic temporal instability of superposition rather than stochastic orgravity-driven effects.
This paper explores the application of wave function collapse as a novel algorithmic framework for promoting self-organization within complex systems. Traditional approaches often involve explicit control and manipulation, while this work proposes a method that leverages the inherent probabilistic nature of wave function collapse to guide system evolution towards stable states. The core mechanism involves continuous collapse of the system's wave function, triggering a cascade of transformations and ultimately driving the system towards a predetermined configuration. We present a preliminary implementation demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in a simplified, yet illustrative, example. The paper discusses the theoretical underpinnings of wave function collapse, its potential applicability to various systems, and future directions for research.