Conscious Mind in the Physical World

by E.J Squires

Overview

We have seen remarkable progress in our detailed understanding of the physical world, from the smallest constituents of atoms to the remotest distances seen by telescopes. However, we have yet to explore the phenomenon of consciousness. Can physical things be conscious or is consciousness something else, forever outside the range of physics? And how does consciousness interact with physical things?

A lively account of quantum theory and its puzzles, Conscious Mind in the Physical World examines two developments in particular that have altered the context of discussions about consciousness. One is computer technology, which allows us to make machines that can calculate at speeds far greater than the human brain, while the other is the study of the microscopic world. The book explores philosophical issues such as idealism and free will and speculates on the relationship of consciousness to quantum mechanics. This resource will stimulate physicists with an interest in philosophy, philosophers interested in physics, and anyone fascinated about the waking state of the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367403270
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/05/2019
Pages:	552
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xi

1 Introduction 1

1.1 The book 1

1.2 The author 4

2 Physics and conscious mind 7

2.1 Physics as the theory of everything 7

2.2 Physics and the violation of experience 10

2.3 Physics and reductionism 13

2.4 From physics to conscious mind 20

3 Consciousness 24

3.1 What is consciousness? 24

3.2 What is conscious? 26

3.3 Can a machine be conscious? 29

3.4 What does consciousness do? 34

3.5 The uniqueness of conscious mind 36

3.6 The unconscious mind 37

3.7 States of consciousness 39

4 From classical physics to the standard model 41

4.1 The classical era 41

4.2 Interference 49

4.3 The quantum revolution 53

4.4 The standard model 58

4.5 The standard model of cosmology 62

4.6 Unanswered questions 67

5 Philosophical background 71

5.1 "Words, words, mere words" 71

5.2 Idealism 72

5.3 Realism 74

5.4 Materialism 75

5.5 The mind-brain identity hypothesis 79

5.6 Dualism 82

5.7 Psychoneural pairs 87

5.8 Panpsychism 88

5.9 Process philosophy 90

5.10 Summary 92

6 Experiments relevant to conscious mind 94

6.1 Science needs experiments 94

6.2 Consciousness in animals 95

6.3 Blindsight 96

6.4 The brain 97

6.5 Split-brain experiments 98

6.6 The effects on the brain of mental events 100

6.7 The effects of consciousness on the external world 104

7 Free-will 112

7.1 A property of conscious mind 112

7.2 Freedom as the possibility of alternative action 113

7.3 Free-will as an illusion 115

7.4 Free-will and determinism 117

7.5 The origin of free-will 120

7.6 Purpose and design 121

7.7 Summary of our conclusions about free-will 123

8 Time 124

8.1 Time and the laws of physics 124

8.2 The experience of time 129

8.3 Time asymmetry and thermodynamics 130

8.4 Memory 135

8.5 Movement through time 138

8.6 Time and space 140

9 Truth 142

9.1 Facts and tautologies 142

9.2 Paradoxes 144

9.3 Axiomatic systems 145

9.4 Gödel's theorem 146

9.5 Does a machine tell the truth? 152

10 Quantum theory 156

10.1 Particle/wave duality 156

10.2 The wavefunction of quantum theory 159

10.3 The probability interpretation of the wavefunction 161

10.4 Quantum theory and determinism 164

10.5 Quantum theory and external reality 166

10.6 Quantum theory and locality 167

10.7 Time and quantum mechanics 173

11 What does quantum theory mean? 177

11.1 The interpretation problem 177

11.2 The orthodox interpretation 179

11.3 What can make a quantum measurement? 183

11.4 Consciousness and wavefunction reduction 190

11.5 Hidden-variable models 192

11.6 The many-worlds interpretation of quantum theory 197

11.7 Knowledge and quantum theory 202

12 Conscious mind and quantum physics 204

12.1 Why does consciousness enter physics? 204

12.2 The unique world of conscious mind 207

12.3 Free-will and quantum physics 212

12.4 Psychokinesis and quantum physics 214

12.5 Universal consciousness and clairvoyance 216

12.6 Are brain events microscopic? 221

13 Conclusions 224

13.1 Is there an external world? 224

13.2 Is there anything else? 226

13.3 Why does it seem to matter so much? 230

13.4 Are we responsible for our actions? 234

13.5 What is conscious mind? 236

References 239

Index 247