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Consciousness and Quantum Theory
The site provides summaries and reviews of books, academic papers, articles and other material relevant to quantum theories of consciousness. It also compiles a reference list useful to quantum consciousness studies. Reviews are added regularly, as material becomes available for discussion, and the quantum mind blog comments on current developments. The introductory section covers the main concepts behind quantum consciousness, and is intended mainly for those who are unfamiliar with the area. The summaries and reviews cover most of the main theories of quantum consciousness, including the Penrose/Hameroff Orch OR theory, Gustav Bernroider's work on ion channels, David Bohm's implicate order, Henry Stapp's work based on more traditional quantum theory and the various forms of quantum brain dynamics. One section deals with the evidence for quantum consciousness. An area of recent expansion for the site has been the coverage of the spate of papers relating to coherence in photosynthetic protein and similar structures, (Engel et al, 2007, Lee et al, 2007; Sarovar et al, 2009; Collini et al, 2009). The most recent and possibly the most important paper is Collini et al, 2010, which demonstrates long-lived quantum coherence in protein at room temperature, something which had previously been considered impossible. These studies are argued to go a good way to undermine the core decoherence argument against quantum consciousness. Other recent papers deal with the screening of microtubule surfaces by ions and ordered water, an area that is important to the Penrose/Hameroff theory. Recently added are papers by Georgiev, D. suggesting an alternative to the Hameroff model for supporting quantum coherence in microtubules. The work of Engels and Collini mentioned above tends to bring the significance of proteins centre stage. Proteins whether in microtubules or elsewhere in the neuron that emerges as a quantum engine even in conventional theory, and is also the most likely mechanism for any form of quantum consciousness/computing in the brain. It is intended to try and emphasise studies of proteins in the future development of the site. Further sections deal with topics such as freewill (including discussion of the Libet experiments), the origin of life and quantum computing. The Mainstream section provides critiques of some of the conventional neuroscience, psychology and philosophical ideas on consciousness, including those of Dennett, Churchland, Crick and Koch. The suggested reading list for quantum consciousness studies is under: Introduction 3: Reading List The most recent additions to the site are listed below:- 1.) Vilayanur Ramachandran - In:- Conversations on Consciousness - Ed. Susan Blackmore - added 7 September 2010 (under Neuroscience5) - Consciousness theory has to deny both qualia in higher animals and absence of self in altered states. 2.) Kevin O'Regan - In:- Conversations on Consciousness - Ed. Susan Blackmore - added 4 September 2010 (under Philosophy3) 3.) John Searle - In:- Conversations on Consciousness - Ed. Susan Blackmore - added 1 September 2010 (under Philosophy3) - Summarises chinese room thought experiment 4.) Roger Penrose - In:- Conversations on Consciousness - Susan Blackmore - added August 31 2010 (under Penrose&Hameroff8) 5.) Patricia & Paul Churchland - In:- Conversations on Consciousness - Susan Blackmore - added 30 August 2010 (under Philosophy3) 6.) The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of the Mental Force - Jeffrey Schwarz and Sharon Begley - added 29 August 2010 (under Free Will7) - Clinical evidence in favour of freewill 7.) Beyond scientific materialism - Imants Baruss - added 22 August 2010 (under Other Quantum5) - View of consciousness akin to David Bohm 8.) The Unconscious Will: How the pursuit of goals operates outside of conscious awareness - added 22 August 2010 (under Freewill6) 9.)David Chalmers: in:- Conversations on Consciousness - Susan Blackmore - added 18 August 2010 (under Philosophy3) 10.) The God Theory - Bernard Haisch - added 13 August 2010 (under Cosmology3) - Discusses the structure of the quantum vacuum and spacetime. 11.) Reflexive monism - Max Velmans - added 6 August 2010 (under Mainstream17) - Attempts unsatisfactory merger between consciousness as a fundamental and mainstream approach 12.) Identity theory 12.) Free will, information, quantum mechanics and biology - Peter Schuster Other recent reviews: 1.) Freewill, information, quantum mechanics and biology - Schuster, P. (2.) Freewill in scientific pyschology - Baumeister, R. - 30 July (Freewill6) (3.) Test of Penrose's objective reduction by Dirk Bouwmeester - 27 July (Penrose & Hameroff1) (4.) Towards quantum superposition of living organisms - Romero-Isart, O. - 22 July (Quantum Evidence6) (5.) The Never Ending Days of Being Dead - Marcus Chown (6.) Distribution of entanglement in light harvesting complexes and their quantum efficiency - Francesca Fassioli & Alexandra Olaya-Castro - 22 June (under Quantum Evidence6) (7.) Entanglement and the entangling power of the dynamics in light-harvesting complexes - Caruso, F. - added 16 June (under Quantum Evidence6) (8.) Role of unconsciousness in freewill - Droege, P. - 15 June (under Freewill5) (9.) Limits of quantum speed up in light harvesting - Hoyer, S. - 13 June (under Quantum Evidence5) (10.) Sensitive Souls - Ford, B. J. - 18 May (under Protein4) (8.) Genes don't reveal all - Snyder, M. - 9 May (under Protein1) (11.) Introduction to Protein Structure - Branden, C. & Tooze, J. - 30 Apr. 2010 (under Protein3) (12.) Life was all but inevitable - (based on Di Mauro) - 28 Apr. 2010 (under Origin of Life) (13.) Secret power of the cell - Ford, B.J. - 25 Apr. 2010 (under neuroscience4) (14.) Presynaptic neurotransmitter release - Rinetti, G. & Schweizer, F. - 20 Apr. 2010 (under Protein2) (15.) Structural argument against physicalism - Montero, B. - added 19 April 2010 (under Philosophy3) (16.) Microtubule based quantum models of mind - Georgiev, D. - added 17 April (under Danko Georgiev2) (17.) Light harvesting in photosynthesis - Cheng, Y. & Fleming, R. - added 5 April 2010 (under Protein) (18.) Role of consciousness in mathematical cognition - Hadley, R. - added 16 March 2010 (under Penrose & Hameroff8) (19.) Quantum Brain - Satinover, J. - 9 March 2010 (under Protein&Coherence2) (20.) Protein Structure & Function - Petsko G. & Ringe, Dagmar - added 13 April 2010 (under Protein2) 'Once we have bitten the quantum apple, our loss of innocence is permanent' - R. Shankar (1994) |
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