English Abstract Since its inception, quantum mechanics has been troubled by the "measurement problem": why does observation cause the wavefunction to collapse, and what role does consciousness play in this process? Building upon von Neumann's measurement chain theory[1] and integrating the concept of "discrimination mind" (vikalpa) from Eastern philosophy, this paper proposes a testable novel hypothesis—consciousness, through its discriminative function, determines the manifestation of quantum system determinacy via its own temporal resolution. This hypothesis redefines the boundary between classical and quantum mechanics from "object size" to "the relative relationship between the sampling rate of consciousness and the rate of change of the observed object," and provides three progressively layered, mutually complementary, and falsifiable experimental designs. It offers an explanatory framework for the foundational problems of quantum mechanics that possesses both philosophical depth and scientific operability.
English Abstract Since its inception, quantum mechanics has been troubled by the "measurement problem": why does observation cause the wavefunction to collapse, and what role does consciousness play in this process? Building upon von Neumann's measurement chain theory[1] and integrating the concept of "discrimination mind" (vikalpa) from Eastern philosophy, this paper proposes a testable novel hypothesis—consciousness, through its discriminative function, determines the manifestation of quantum system determinacy via its own temporal resolution. This hypothesis redefines the boundary between classical and quantum mechanics from "object size" to "the relative relationship between the sampling rate of consciousness and the rate of change of the observed object," and provides three progressively layered, mutually complementary, and falsifiable experimental designs. It offers an explanatory framework for the foundational problems of quantum mechanics that possesses both philosophical depth and scientific operability.
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.
An analysis has been performed of the theories and postulates advanced by von Neumann, London and Bauer, and Wigner, concerning the role that consciousness might play in the collapse of the wave function, which has become known as the measurement problem. This reveals that an error may have been made by them in the area of biology and its interface with quantum mechanics, when they called for the reduction of any superposition states in the brain through the mind or consciousness. Many years later Wigner changed his mind to reflect a simpler and more realistic objective position, expanded upon by Shimony, which appears to offer a way to resolve this issue. The argument is therefore made that the wave function of any superposed photon state or states is always objectively changed within the complex architecture of the eye in a continuous linear process initially for most of the superposed photons, followed by a discontinuous nonlinear collapse process later for any remaining superposed photons, thereby guaranteeing that only final, measured information is presented to the brain, mind or consciousness. An experiment to be conducted in the near future may enable us to simultaneously resolve the measurement problem and also determine if the linear nature of quantum mechanics is violated by the perceptual process.
The measurement problem — the question of why quantum superpositions appear to collapse to definite outcomes upon measurement — remains one of the most consequential unresolved questions in the foundations of physics. Despite the extraordinary empirical success of quantum mechanics, the field has for decades operated under an unofficial norm of interpretive silence, a posture Sean Carroll and others have identified as both intellectually dishonest and scientifically costly. This paper argues that the experimental evidence, properly understood through the framework of quantum entanglement and decoherence, provides strong grounds for rejecting the hypothesis that consciousness plays a causal role in wavefunction collapse. Three tiers of experimental evidence are examined: the double slit experiment with which-path detection, Bell inequality tests confirming non-local entanglement, and the LIGO gravitational wave detections demonstrating macroscopic quantum coherence at cosmological scales without any role for conscious observation. The paper concludes that the consciousness hypothesis is not supported by experimental physics and that Carroll's call for serious investment in foundational research is scientifically justified and philosophically urgent.
Abstract The measurement problem has long been a fundamental challenge in quantum mechanics. The mainstream decoherence theory attributes the transition from quantum superposition to classical determinacy to the entanglement between the system and its environment. However, this theory still leaves several foundational issues unresolved: decoherence can only eliminate observable interference fringes but cannot explain why a single measurement yields only one definite outcome; nor can it fully account for the phenomena observed in recent attosecond tunneling experiments. The author first published the temporal relativity hypothesis on the Zenodo preprint platform on June 20, 2026[4]. This theory proposes that quantum superposition is not an intrinsic property of microscopic particles, but rather an apparent effect arising from the relative relationship between the temporal sampling frequency of the detection system and the evolution frequency of the quantum object. When the detector's temporal resolution frequency far exceeds the characteristic evolution frequency of the microscopic particle, the interference fringes from wavefunction superposition gradually disappear, and continuous classical trajectories become observable. On July 11, 2026, the author systematically proposed the qualitative three-stage criterion of temporal relativity within the original preprint framework (also published on Zenodo[8]): when the sampling frequency , the system exhibits classical determinacy; when , the system resides in a critical transition state; when , the system manifests as a quantum superposition state. The precise threshold corresponding to this ratio requires calibration through subsequent continuous attosecond imaging experiments, establishing a natural collaborative pathway between theory and experiment. The attosecond scanning tunneling experiment published by the University of Regensburg on July 3, 2026[3], is in strong agreement with the independent theoretical predictions and the experimentally designed predictions presented in the above preprint (June 20). Furthermore, after the publication of the author's Zenodo preprint on July 11, 2026[8], it was found that the experimental results from the Weizmann Institute of Science group in early 2026[5] are also highly isomorphic with the three-stage evolution predicted by this hypothesis. This paper is an advanced revision building upon two previous versions published by the author on the Zenodo preprint platform: the initial temporal relativity hypothesis incorporating the concept of "consciousness" was proposed on June 20, 2026[4]; the July 11, 2026 version[8] removed the consciousness concept and established a purely physical "detector temporal resolution frequency" qualitative framework with the explicit three-stage model; this version fully inherits the qualitative three-stage model while adding a complete unified mathematical framework—built upon the three pillars of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, time-domain sampling boundary conditions, and critical phase criteria—upgrading the theory from a qualitative hypothesis to a complete mathematical system capable of quantitative computation and experimental data fitting.
The measurement problem in physics remains an unresolved challenge characterized by significant conceptual complexity. Paradoxically, mainstream scientific discourse has often sidestepped this issue by invoking processes such as the 'collapse of the wavefunction'—a mechanism that, to this day, lacks a rigorous definition. This framework has primarily served as a pragmatic way to bypass the problem, allowing the inherent subjectivity introduced by the observer to be overlooked. In this article, I aim to provide a detailed exposition of the measurement problem and trace its underlying causes. A case will be made for integrating perspectives from the Philosophy of Science to address this issue systematically. Furthermore, I will explore the critical necessity of developing a robust theory of consciousness, which may provide deeper insights into the measurement problem. By investigating the foundational principles of such a theory, this work seeks to illuminate the intricate relationship between Quantum Theory and Consciousness, potentially offering a more unified understanding of these fundamental phenomena.
A philosophical resolution to the quantum measurement problem proposing that wavefunction collapse occurs not upon measurement, but upon the structural inevitability of conscious judgment. The theory—called the True Intention Principle—offers a new interpretive framework supported by experimental examples, and has implications for quantum eraser, delayed-choice, and observer-based collapse theories. This preprint marks the first public disclosure of the True Intention Principle. All future revisions will build from this base.