Can Science `explain' Consciousness ?
arXiv Preprint Archive February 24, 2000
Summary
The mystery of consciousness may be unlocked through quantum physics, suggesting our awareness emerges from the interplay of meaning, evidence, and communication. This analysis proposes that consciousness isn't just computational but stems from how we collectively interpret reality through shared evidence, reduced to a fundamental "Basic Entity." By applying quantum principles to explain the fuzzy nature of human experience, we can better understand how consciousness emerges through communication rather than computation.
Abstract
Consciousness is the process by which one attributes `meaning' to the world. Considering F$\phi$llesdal's definition of `meaning' as the joint product of all `evidence' that is available to those who `communicate', we conclude that science can, not only reduce all the {\em evidence} to a Basic Entity (we call BE), but also can `explain' consciousness once a suitable definition for {\em communication} is found that exploits the quantum superposition principle to incorporate the fuzzyness of our experience. Consciousness may be beyond `computability', but it is not beyond `communicability'.