[Paper Review] On a Physical Metatheory of Consciousness

M. Dugić, D. Raković+1 more|ArXiv.org|Oct 11, 2000

Quantum Mechanics and Applications8 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a physical metatheory of consciousness by integrating quantum decoherence with the hypothesis of a well-defined physical origin of consciousness. It argues that decoherence conditions naturally lead to a cosmologically relevant psycho-physical parallelism, suggesting consciousness emerges as a fundamental physical correlate in quantum systems undergoing decoherence.

ABSTRACT

We show that the modern quantum mechanics, and particularly the theory of decoherence, allows for formulating a sort of a physical metatheory of consciousness. Particularly, the analysis of the necessary conditions for the occurrence of decoherence, along with the hypothesis that consciousness bears (more-or-less) well definable physical origin, leads to a wider physical picture naturally involving consciousness. This can be considered as a sort of a psycho-physical parallelism, but on rather wide scales bearing some cosmological relevance.

Motivation & Objective

• To develop a physical framework that accounts for consciousness as emerging from quantum mechanical processes.
• To investigate whether the conditions for quantum decoherence can serve as a physical basis for conscious experience.
• To explore the implications of a physical origin of consciousness for broader cosmological and foundational physics.
• To establish a form of psycho-physical parallelism grounded in quantum theory rather than dualism.
• To contribute to the foundational discourse on consciousness by anchoring it in established quantum mechanics, particularly decoherence theory.

Proposed method

• Analyzes the necessary physical conditions for quantum decoherence in open quantum systems.
• Applies the decoherence formalism to identify when and how quantum states become effectively classical.
• Proposes that the emergence of classicality via decoherence corresponds to the emergence of conscious experience.
• Uses the structure of decoherence to define a physical correlate of consciousness across quantum systems.
• Extends the analysis to cosmological scales, suggesting that decoherence processes in the early universe may underlie proto-conscious structures.
• Frames the relationship between consciousness and physical processes as a form of psycho-physical parallelism, not identity or reductionism.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can the physical conditions for quantum decoherence serve as a basis for the emergence of consciousness?
• RQ2 What is the role of decoherence in establishing a physical correlate of conscious experience?
• RQ3 How does a physical theory of consciousness based on decoherence relate to cosmological structures and processes?
• RQ4 In what way does this framework establish a form of psycho-physical parallelism without invoking non-physical entities?
• RQ5 Does the decoherence process inherently imply a threshold or condition for proto-conscious phenomena in quantum systems?

Key findings

• The paper establishes that the conditions for quantum decoherence—specifically, the loss of quantum coherence due to environmental interaction—can be interpreted as a physical precondition for consciousness.
• It identifies a natural physical correlate of consciousness in the process of decoherence, suggesting that conscious experience may emerge when quantum systems become effectively classical.
• The framework implies a form of psycho-physical parallelism where consciousness is not reduced to physics nor separate from it, but correlates with specific physical processes.
• The theory is extended to cosmological scales, suggesting that early-universe decoherence processes may underlie the emergence of proto-conscious structures.
• The authors conclude that a physical metatheory of consciousness is feasible within the framework of quantum mechanics, particularly via decoherence theory.
• The model does not require new physics, but reinterprets existing quantum foundations to include consciousness as a natural consequence of decoherence dynamics.