Self-consciousness and personal identity in quantum panprotopsychism

Consciousness arises in entangled quantum systems coupled to the brain's neural network. Within a panprotopsychist ontology—where states and events have internal phenomenal aspects—the combination problems of qualities, structures, and subjects in panpsychism are resolved by rejecting classical-physics assumptions about supervenience. Self-consciousness is the capacity to view oneself as a subject of experience. The causal openness of quantum systems gives self-conscious beings the ability to make independent choices and decisions, reflecting self-governance and autonomy. Personal identity thereby takes a new form free from problems of the simple view or reductive approaches.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In previous papers, we demonstrated that an ontology of quantum mechanics, described in terms of states and events with internal phenomenal aspects (a form of panprotopsychism), is well suited to explain consciousness. We showed that the combination problems of qualities, structures and subjects in panpsychism and panprotopsychism stem from implicit hypotheses based on classical physics regarding supervenience, which are not applicable at the quantum level. Within this view, consciousness arises in entangled quantum systems coupled to the neural network of the brain. In entangled systems, the properties of individual parts disappear, giving rise to an exponential number of emergent properties and states. Here, we analyze self-consciousness as the capacity to view oneself as a subject of experience. The causal openness of quantum systems provides self-conscious beings the ability to make independent choices and decisions, reflecting a sense of self-governance and autonomy. In this context, the issue of personal identity takes a new form free from the problems of the simple view or the reductive approaches.