Can Science `explain' Consciousness ?
arXiv Preprint Archive February 24, 2000 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractConsciousness is defined as the process of attributing meaning to the world, drawing on Føllesdal's view that meaning arises from all evidence available to communicating individuals. Science can reduce all evidence to a basic entity (BE) and can explain consciousness if a definition of communication is developed that uses the quantum superposition principle to capture the fuzziness of experience. Consciousness may not be computable, but it is communicable.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Physics.gen-ph Quantum physics Cognitive science |
| Key finding | Consciousness can be explained through a quantum-based definition of communication that incorporates the fuzziness of experience, even if it is beyond computability. |
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'.