Consciousness and the Quantum
arXiv Preprint Archive February 25, 2011 Don N. Page
Sensible Quantum Mechanics (also called Mindless Sensationalism) is a framework that connects conscious experience to a quantum universe by assigning each perception a measure equal to the expectation value of a corresponding quantum "awareness operator" in a fixed universal quantum state. These measures act like probabilities for a vast set of perceptions that all exist with varying degrees of reality, making detailed theories testable. The framework is deterministic—there are no propensities or indeterministic actualizations—and thus no incompatibilistic free will. Conscious perceptions are epiphenomena, determined by the awareness operators and the quantum state. Unlike "many-minds" interpretations, each perception is an entire conscious experience with no direct contact with others, making this a "many-perceptions" variant of Everett's many-worlds framework.