Episodes
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In episode 40 of the Justin Riddle Podcast, Justin provides an update of the Nested Observer Windows (NOW) Model. The paper describing this theory was recently published in the open-access Neuroscience of Consciousness journal (link below) and this video is an extended version of the Plenary talk that Justin gave at the Science of Consciousness conference in April of 2024 in Tucson, AZ (link below to conference recording). The NOW Model describes the mind as a nested hierarchical system in which there are many different cognitive systems within the brain at multiple scales. We are familiar with neuron-centric theories of consciousness, and yet why are we so fixated on the level of the neuron. There are synapses that comprise the neuron, there are microtubule systems within the neurons that appear to be electrically active, and there are neuronal population dynamics above the neuron which display prominent electrical properties. The cellular level is one level within a multi-scalar system. Evidence from cognitive neuroscience is suggesting that the low-frequency macroscopic electrical activity in the brain is closest correlated to cognition and brain stimulation techniques that drive these neural oscillations can reproducibly create changes in cognition. Therefore, it appears that these macroscopic scales are “causally” relevant to cognition. How then do all of these multiple levels connect to each other?
Observations from neuroscience show us that these multiple scales are electrically coupled to each other, a phenomenon called cross-frequency coupling. With coupling across these multiple scales, there is a mechanism for how information processed at different scales can be communicated up and down the nested hierarchy of the brain. The NOW Model essentially takes cross-frequency coupling very seriously. Your mind is at the apex, the top, of the brain hierarchical system and there are nested cognitive processing systems within you. A model by which there are nested cognitive systems explains a whole range of psychological phenomena that are not current explainable under single-level neuron theories of consciousness. For example, the fact that we are only aware of a high level of abstraction of our experience and yet can interact with a rich perceptual landscape and initiated complex motor movements can be explained by an interaction between ourself at the slow apex and the lower levels. Another explanation is how slow our cognition really is: the NOW Model suggests that we are operating in the time range of 1 cycle per second or even slower. Our thoughts are sluggish and filled with abstraction (perhaps a key to intelligence) but contain the richness of the faster systems. Beyond capturing a deeper range of every day experiences, the NOW Model also readily accounts for dissociative identity disorder and new psychotherapy techniques that conceptualize the self as a family (internal family systems). This is just the tip of the iceberg from changing our self-conceptualization from singular into a multiplicity of nested systems. There is a lot of work to be done in this space to validate the potential cognitive reality of the NOW Model! -
In episode 39 of the quantum consciousness series, Justin Riddle explores the mechanism behind natural selection in evolution. This is not a question about humans evolving from animals, but instead is raising the question about what is the driving force behind the process of evolution. Charles Darwin described evolution as a random expression of features that are then selected by the environment. The animals that are able to reproduce will preferentially spread their features to next generations. Gradually, species will change based on these survival pressures. The problem with this model is that the random expression of features and then reproduction is an extremely slow process. While including the expression “then add millions of years” appears to be sufficient at first glance to account for such slowness, a truly random process that is this slow will never build anything sufficiently complicated. Humans are notoriously terrible at appreciating exponentials and combinatorics: a deck of cards will likely never be shuffled into the same pattern twice even if billions of people frantically shuffled decks of cards across the planet for a million years. If the core force of evolution is “randomness,” then the probability of repeatedly creating novel stable biological structures such as the liver or the immune system is vanishingly small. Luckily, there is no reason to be stuck in 1800s ways of thinking since we live in the modern information age with advanced digital computers and quantum computers on the horizon. A simple update to natural selection is to acknowledge a domain of algorithms and “Platonic” / mathematical forms that are being carried out in evolution. The creation of a novel organ could arise through the combination of novel algorithms rather than combing “physical” parts in a random manner. However, a core hurdle of digital computer models of life is the need for a programmer. Without a programmer, digital computers are just more random physical elements unlikely to create anything. While we are just at the emergence of quantum computer technology, quantum computers might express a naturally occurring form of computation that does not require explicit programming. Quantum computation at the core of evolution would not be random and would further emphasize the importance of a single processing unit in the organism – the mind. Consciousness as a quantum computer would be critical to the evolution of the species. Your choices and thoughts are the evolution of your body and by extension the human species. Finally, the goal of evolution might not just be the furthering of your life, but if we take human knowledge to actually be real, then using your life to contribute to education, science, and medicine actually makes a difference to the human species. An expanded view of evolution includes expanding the domain of collective human knowledge, the experience of the individual, and the creation of a flourishing society.
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Missing episodes?
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In episode 38 of the quantum consciousness series, Justin Riddle takes on the concept of the multiverse and provides arguments for why he thinks we live in a single universe. The concept of the multiverse arose from the recognition that at the fundamental level quantum systems are splitting into different possible futures. This split in space-time reality if taken at face value implies that the universe is splitting into multiple parallel universes in which slightly different events take place. However, quantum mechanics is also faced with a measurement process by which these parallel universes are destroyed and “collapsed” down to a single reality of what actually happens. This duality between a superposition of multiple possible realities and a measurement that reduces the probability space down to a single universe is the fundamental mystery at the heart of quantum mechanics. The tricky bit is that we live in a culture that more readily accepts the multiverse interpretation of quantum mechanics and is hesitant to dive into the murky depths of wave function collapse theories. For example, Roger Penrose describes a mechanism why which wave function collapse occurs at a specific threshold because these parallel universes in possibility space are unstable and collapse. This “objective reduction” theory of wave function collapse is still mostly considered as a fringe and unsubstantiated theory (although the times are slowly changing). To assert the universe and reject the multiverse is to take wave function collapse seriously!
As we enter the quantum information age, society will start to get used to thinking about a digital information state that is chosen as input into a quantum computer, then from this state a wave function evolves and these possible realities interfere with each other. Finally, the system is measured again and digital information is extracted from the system. Computation in the future will be a hybrid of digital and quantum computation in a dualistic interplay. From this perspective, the idea that each of those possibilities is dissociated from each other into a multiverse just does not fit with the idea of interference patterns and quantum computation. If all the suboptimal solutions of a quantum computation are different parallel universe that never interact, then this undermines the concept of quantum computation.
Finally, at the core of the multiverse is the idea that everything is random and nothing happens for a reason. We just happen to be in the universe that worked out despite countless failed universes all around us. This mechanism of action at the core of the idea is a bit too overly simple and reverts into more nihilistic physicalism. From a human outlook, the multiverse is another tenant of nihilism that challenges the idea that your choices matter, you are real, and there is something meaningful occurring in the universe. -
In episode 37 of the quantum consciousness series, Justin Riddle takes a deep dive into Donald Hoffman’s conscious agent model and relates it to the leading theories of quantum consciousness. The structure of this episode is an introduction to Hoffman’s model of conscious agents, then an interview with Don Hoffman in November 2022, and finally some reflections on the implications of this model. Hoffman begins by describing the interface theory of perception: we have mistaken the external “physical” world to be fundamental reality. But this external world that we see around us is an evolved interface that was created through billions of years of evolution and cannot be trusted. The world you experience is like a video game – with icons, side quests, and abstract motivations to win victory points. The “real” world is not directly accessible to us through our perceptual systems and there is a great illusion at play. Hoffman then proposes his Conscious Agents theory, in which the universe is comprised of conscious beings interacting with each other. He describes these conscious agents as Markov Chains – probabilistic systems that move through a set of possible experience and action states while learning from their interactions with the world at large. Finally, he proposes that conscious agents are composed of conscious agents resulting in a fractal nested hierarchy of beings from the scale of the entire universe down to the Planck scale. This nested hierarchy is fundamental and now just needs to be mapped into modern particle physics in order to complete his theory of everything. Here, he introduces “decorated permutations” which are a way to map the Markov Models of his conscious agents into geometric structures. With this mapping, he claims to connect his agents to fundamental geometric forms at the core of reality, such as the amplituhedron, and then that amplituhedron can derive space-time, particle physics, and quantum mechanics. His theory is very Platonist in its essence and relies on a geometric depiction of reality. At the end of the episode, I praise the ability of Hoffman’s theory to connect the nested hierarchies of beings into a substrate for mathematical forms to arise, but also caution that his model throws away the physical world and mental world to some degree to focus exclusively on the Platonic world of forms. Living within a hyperdimensional geometric form may result in the same nihilistic conclusions that our lives are just unfolding as sub-projections of this universal form. Can we salvage the human spirit from unmoving crystalline geometry? I hope you enjoy!
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In episode 36 of the quantum consciousness series, Justin Riddle describes the popular simulation hypothesis and discusses the implication of running the simulation using quantum computers. First off, Justin makes the argument that the foundation of the simulation hypothesis is strictly based in a digital computer framework. If the world is deterministic and digitizable, then it could in principle be simulated. But, if the world is quantum mechanical – with superposition, measurement, and entanglement – then the world might be non-deterministic or require simulation of the entire universe to capture all the necessary information to make the simulation perfect. Luckily, quantum computer scientists have been working on the concept of simulation for decades. Universal quantum simulation is the theory that if you set up a quantum computer to have the same inputs and the same quantum circuit, then you will get the same probability distribution on different quantum computers. However, when you measure that output, then you get a random digital output drawn from that probability distribution. This means that you can simulate the wave function but measurement fundamentally disrupts the simulation and creates divergence. If you were attempting to simulate a quantum system, then you simulation would start to diverge with each subsequent measurement and by the time you are multiple measurements into the future, reality might be unrecognizably different from the simulation. This massively reduced the controllability and the conclusion is reached that a quantum simulation that fully approximates the world is not sustainable for any substantial amount of time. Second is the problem of scaling. In a digital computer, you can write code that derives a more complicated world from some simple principles. However, in a quantum system, the informational complexity of the system explodes exponentially at every evolution of the wave function. Scientists running quantum simulations of molecular interactions for example are looking to create quantum computers with comparable complexity to those chemical systems in order to simulate them. This is a challenge for the simulation hypothesis because the creator of the simulation would need to have a computer as big as the universe itself in order to run the simulation – there does not appear to be any effective compression techniques for quantum computers. Third, the no-cloning theorem of quantum mechanics states that each wave function is uniquely identifiable and cannot be copied in principle. While the probability distribution of a quantum system can be approximated by other quantum computers, the array of entanglement relationships of a quantum system to the world at large cannot be simulated. This means that any quantum simulation will not be a perfect replication in principle, which could lead to an uncanny valley where the simulation is missing something and appears fake despite attempts to enhance the realism. With all of these metaphysical arguments in mind, there is still a persistent phenomenology of feeling like you are in a simulation. For example, high doses of psychedelic drugs can induce the dissociative feeling that everything around you is fake and this is the first moment of your life. If you were a quantum computer living within a physical brain, then the experience of accessing the data of your brain might be akin to the feeling of living in a simulation. Here you are in the moment collapsing the wave function and entering unique moments of time, but the data you are accessing in your brain contains the narrative construct of your life and knowledge. Hence, a removal of typical “neural access” might create the perception of living in a simulation. Lots to think about in this one! Hope you enjoy
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In episode 35 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle explores the role of quantum computers in the current revolution in digital artificial intelligence (AI). First, Justin describes some of the basics of large language models at a high level. In essence, digital AI can be conceptualized as a series of weighted matrices trained by fitting and updating the weights according to patterns found in extensive training sets of data. While these digital AI systems are indeed quite powerful as tools, it is important for us to determine what "knowledge" is being acquired. One option is that there is no universal truth, and meaning is arbitrary. This viewpoint leads to the most significant perceived risk: that this AI might start optimizing for arbitrary values that do not align with human values, the classic example being turning the planet into a massive paperclip factory. This "alignment problem" is what leads people to assert that we need a moratorium or ban on these AI systems.
However, the alternative viewpoint is that there is a universal truth at the core of reality, akin to Plato's world of forms or mathematics. If mathematics is universal, then there are two subsequent outcomes. Either the digital AI can fully map this Platonic world of math, or it can only approximate these forms. Given arguments from Gödel's incompleteness theorem and the residual mystery of quantum mechanics, it is unlikely that digital systems of formal logic will be able to map mathematics fully. Thus, we are left in the middle ground: there is a universal truth, and digital AI is approximating aspects of this universal truth.
The second topic of the episode is the role of quantum computers with respect to digital AI. Justin describes how digital computers represent the ultimate mastery of the physical aspect of reality, while quantum computers are composed of the fundamental pieces of the universe. At the very least, quantum computers will provide an exponential speedup in the training and execution of digital AI, but are also likely to deviate substantially from digital AI because there are additional aspects of their functioning that remain mysterious. How will the digital AI revolution and the quantum revolution compare?
Digital AI will significantly expand our capacity to remember, access, and learn information, but this is a physical tool that will be external to our bodies and minds. However, if the mind is truly a quantum computer, then quantum computer technologies will likely need to be implanted within the nervous system to directly expand the computational capacity of your mind. At the end of the episode, Justin speculates that the expansion of the mind with quantum technology may inadvertently lead to transcendent experiences that defy our current understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe. It sure is an interesting time to be alive on this planet! -
In episode 34 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle puts forth a defense of freewill. In a deterministic universe guided by physical principles, there is no room for freewill. Surely, we must succumb to the crushing reality that our choices do not matter, that the self is an illusion, and that the very concept of time is illusory – nothing more than a social construct or hallucinations. While this is indeed the typical mainstream opinion on the state of our consciousness, quantum mechanics offers some chance that we could escape from determinism. The Schrodinger’s equation explains that quantum systems evolve into a superposition of multiple different possible futures. Then, upon measurement, the wave function of possibilities collapses into a definitive reality. But this process is apparently random. The stochastic (random) nature of this process leaves room for something beyond pure determinism. Perhaps it is simply probabilistic, and not deterministic, or perhaps there is some chance that consciousness could impose its will on this collapse process. At the very least, if freewill is not illusion, the only apparent room for its influence is at this moment of collapse.
In this episode, we explore three different ways in which freewill could find its way into the collapse of the wave function. In the first model, the superposition provides the choices for possible futures. These choices are given to the mind, and the mind chooses which of these options to collapse into the physical world. Henry Stapp and John von Neumann postulated that this could be the case, but there must be additional checks from nature on this multiple-choice selection process. The second framing is through the quantum Zeno effect, where you have the option to pay attention to some series of thoughts or to let those thoughts go. This ability of “free won’t” could be a way by which the mind is able to influence the rate and timing of collapse of the wave function rather than the actual choice within the probability distribution. The third and final way that is presented is defined as “form will”. In this model, the human mind chooses a set of values, or forms, that are applied to a situation. Instead of choosing a particular behavior or response, the mind applies a flavor of quantum algorithms to the problem and then whatever the resulting output of that quantum computation is will determine the actual actions that are carried out. In all, each of these three manners for freewill to influence the physical world are speculative and require there to be large-scale quantum computers within the brain. In my opinion, these new models of freewill are necessary for us to escape the crushing nihilism that is inherent to a physicalist / determinist reality. -
In episode 33 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle interviews Kelvin McQueen on his recent theory on how consciousness might collapse the wave function. Kelvin is a professor of philosophy at Chapman University who investigates the nature of consciousness and role it might play in quantum mechanics. The measurement problem in quantum mechanics is that there is a smoothly and deterministically evolving superposition that is abruptly “measured” and reduced to a finite physical state, but it is unclear what constitutes a measuring device. In collaboration with David Chalmers, Kelvin explores the hypothesis that the measurement device in quantum mechanics might be consciousness. However, consciousness is typically an ill-defined vague idea that does not produce any tangible upgrade to the mystery of what a measuring device is. Here, Kelvin uses the definition of consciousness from integrated information theory (IIT) by Giulio Tononi. Consciousness is the minimally reducible information state of a system, which is defined as a recurrent network of interconnected nodes that predict the next state of the system. According to Kelvin, this definition allows for testable predictions to be made regarding the role of consciousness. In the upgraded quantum IIT theory, the nodes are quantum bits (or qubits) and the edges are entanglement relationships. Thus, QIIT defines an interconnected quantum computer (of sorts…) as consciousness and this reduces the wave function. Furthermore, the collapse of the wave function is not instantaneous but instead is continuous, drawing from the continuous spontaneous localization theory of quantum mechanics. Altogether, these ideas present a picture where consciousness is integral to a fundamental description of the physical universe and might provide room for an expanded sense of self. In this interview, I interrupt intermittently to describe the relevant ideas with graphical representation and compare this model to the Orchestrated Objective Reduction model by Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose. There are some amazing new ideas that Kelvin McQueen describes in this episode, so be sure to check it out!
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In episode 32 of the quantum consciousness series, Justin Riddle interviews Andres Gomez-Emilsson, the director of research of the Qualia Research Institute. Andres is passionate about understanding qualia, which is the feeling and quality of subjective experience. In this interview, we discuss many of Andres’ theories: mathematical fictionalism, symmetry of valence theory, neural annealing as it pertains to psychedelic therapy, and antitolerance medications to reduce suffering. First up, we discuss the nature of qualia and whether or not there can be a universal mathematical description of subjective experience. Andres posits that the experience of having a thought should not be confused with the thought itself. Therefore, any attempt at mathematical description will be wrapped up within the experience of the person suggesting the mathematics. As he states, mathematics is as real as the Lord of the Rings, a great story that we can tell, but not to be confused with reality itself. Next up, we discuss his symmetry of valence theory which describes that the imagination of certain geometric patterns imbues a sense of well-being whereas other patterns are anxiogenic. The geometric patterns that lead to positive valence (positive emotional experiences) are those shapes recognized as sacred geometry. However, Andres cautions that because these “sacred” geometric shapes generate well-being, people have used this reproducible experience to peddle New Age metaphysics. We should be cautious of the ability to generate positive experience as it can be used to manipulate people into buying into particular belief systems. Third, we discuss recent findings that single dose psilocybin in a therapeutic context can produce a lasting reduction in symptoms of depression. Andres posits that this could be explained as a form of neural annealing. The mind “heats up” and breaks through discordant neural pathways and through neural plasticity during the psychedelic experience will allow for the formation of new neural pathways with higher resonant properties consistent with positive valence. This contributes to Andres’ overall ontological model of reality in which the universe is a unified field of experience that is pinched off into individuals. Here, he starts with an unbroken unity of all things that is topologically segmented into individuals. Finally, Andres is a devout hedonist with the long-term goal of reducing suffering. His group at the Qualia Research Institute is investigating medications that reduce adaptation to molecules over long-term use. Go check out Andres’ YouTube channel and the Qualia Research Institute website!
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In episode 31 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses the role of geometry in our understanding of the universe. The discussion begins looking at the manifestation of geometric forms in the world around us in the form of crystals. Crystals are a cornerstone of modern technology as they increase the controllability of the physical world around us through their structure. Many researchers studying quantum biology theorize that when highly ordered structures, often by the creation of a lattice, might enable subtle quantum properties to be magnified. Other researchers look to geometry in their pursuit of a mathematical theory of everything. If only we could understand all of the driving forces in the universe, then we could build more advanced technologies. Surely, a theory of everything must be quite complex. In this pursuit, some researchers postulate that multidimensional geometric forms are the solution. For example, Klee Irwin claims the so-called E8-lattice serves as a unification of all forces and that all things are a projection from this higher dimensional system into our lower 3-dimensional reality. From this perspective, every superposition is a decision between multiple projections that could be selected. Critically, with the same unifying E8-lattice behind the scenes, humans are able to communicate and understand each other by virtue of a shared universal form underlying each of our expressions. My experience of love is the same as your experience of love, because love is a complex geometric form in the E8-lattice. But this has to make you wonder, can love be a geometric shape? Third, I highlight some of the inspiring work from Andres Gomez-Emilsson mapping out the stages of a DMT trip from the standpoint of geometry. During a breakthrough experience, trippers report a direct firsthand experience of viewing hyperbolic geometric objects. Hyperbolic geometry appears to be continuously folding outward. Look up some visualizers as these shapes are inherently bizarre. Could this geometric form explain the bizarreness of these altered states of consciousness? Furthermore, the experience of hyperbolic geometry in firsthand experience suggests that there might be a shift in the mental-space from which we are viewing the object. If we posit that the mind is quantum computer, then this may correspond to a warping of the geometric structure of the Hilbert space of our wave-function mind (the Hilbert space is the multidimensional probability distribution of a quantum system). There are a lot of thought-provoking theories presented in this episode – all of which utilize the principles of geometry as a fundamental aspect of physical reality, mathematics, or our inner experience.
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In episode 30 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle sits down with Stuart Hameroff to get an update on current events in the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) Model. This interview took place on August 30th, 2022 in his home in Tucson, AZ. The interview covered four major topics. Our discussion of these topics is interleaved with my reaction, summary, and commentary on the topic of discussion. First, we discussed a recent submitted study that found coherent transmission of excitons between tubulin proteins in a microtubule. This study provides evidence for long range quantum coherence in microtubules, which is a requirement for the Orch-OR model to be grounded in microtubule function. Second, Stuart explains some unpublished pilot data that find superradiant photon emission in microtubules for multiple seconds. This finding has multiple implications. First off, this could be evidence of sustained quantum coherence in microtubule on the order of fractions of a second to multiple seconds. If true, then this implies that the slow cognitive processes of the human mind could be instantiated in slower quantum computations. In addition, this implies that coherent light emission could be a means by which multiple microtubules become entangled to form a network of quantum bits – in essence, a quantum computer. For the third topic, we discuss a recent review paper published by Stuart that explores the idea that the brain is organized in a biological hierarchy spanning multiple spatiotemporal scales. A collaborator of his, Anirban Bandyopadhyay, claims to have recorded coherent kilohertz and megahertz electrical activity from the scalp of humans in what he calls a dodecogram. This data is currently unpublished and I am personally skeptical as this would require coherent activity in this very fast frequency domain across a large spatial swath of cortex to be picked up from the scalp. At this point, I ask a series of questions to Stuart on the relationship between human cognition and microtubule function. The Orch-OR model claims that slow human cognition is a “beat” generated from much faster microtubule function. However, in my view, this beat explanation suggest that human cognition might be emergent, or epiphenomenal, which is not something that Stuart or myself are comfortable with. Finally, we discuss the recent controversy surrounding a study conducted to test the so-called “Diosi-Penrose objective reduction” model. In short another researcher proposed a similar theory to Penrose’s objective reduction model of wave function collapse. In this other theory, the collapse of the wave function was suggested to emit radiation. In this recent experimental study, they found no evidence of radiation emission upon collapse of the wave function. Therefore, the authors of this study concluded that the Diosi OR model was incorrect, but then drew the conclusion that therefore Orch-OR and Penrose OR are not supported by evidence. Stuart refutes this by explaining that Penrose OR does not propose the emission of radiation. I have included chapters in this video so that you can skip to the interview if you so desire. I hope you enjoy!
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In episode 29 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses the phenomenon of synchronicity and possible mechanisms through quantum mechanics that could give way to its rigorous scientific study. Synchronicity was coined by the psychologist Carl Jung and is defined as an apparently meaningful coincidence between your thought and some event in the world around you. Examples of synchronicity include simple moments of non-locality such as thinking about a friend and then they call you, learning a new word and then hearing it everywhere immediately afterwards, or dreaming about something and then it happens. These experiences are often brushed off as coincidental (and likely many are!), however, there are people who have experienced synchronicity to such a degree as to call into question whether these coincidences are statistically possible. Furthermore, there are more complex forms of synchronicity such as a famous example by Carl Jung wherein a patient has a breakthrough in her psychotherapy when a symbol from her dream finds its way into the room at the moment that she describes it. This experience was a critical moment in her psychotherapy and made a strong impact on Carl Jung as well.
If we accept the metaphysical framework that the human mind is a quantum computer, then it is at the very least theoretically possible that the operations of the mind could be meaningfully related non-locally to the external world via entanglement. Entanglement was referred to as “spooky action at a distance” when it was first postulated; and Albert Einstein resisted accepting that quantum entanglement was real because he feared that it opened the door to magical thinking and non-scientific discourse. However, in an effort to be radically empirical, we must look at all the evidence and, unfortunately for Einstein, we do not get to choose to live in a locally-determined physicalist universe. Roger Penrose spelled out the limitations of digital / first-order-logical explanations for reality and suggested that there must be non-computable forces in the universe that defy the physicalist dogma. Could it be that synchronicity is a driving force of change in the universe and that physical events are guided by Platonic forms and meaningful constructs? My own experience with synchronicity has led me to believe there must be additional forces at play than locally determined causality. I believe synchronicity can be a profound source of spirituality for the scientifically minded; however, we must protect ourselves against the risk of psychosis and stay grounded in the scientific method! Enjoy! -
In episode 28 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle describes how quantum teleportation works and wonders whether a quantum computer mind could be teleported out of the body. The episode begins with a discussion of the bizarre, yet common, experience of leaving one’s body during a traumatic event to observe the unfolding of events from the outside. These near-death experiences are baffling to scientists, and often dismissed as an unusual chemical or electrical fluctuation in the brain. However, within the quantum computational framework there is a genuine way to teleport quantum information between physical systems. If we were to discover that the human mind is indeed a quantum computer within the brain, then it is at least possible, if not likely, that the mind could teleport outside of the brain. In this episode, the basic component for how to entangle quantum bits and how to teleport quantum information between quantum bits is described. Then, the biological plausibility of teleporting quantum information within the brain is explored. The episode wraps up with a discussion on the nature of quantum information and speculations on the possibility of future forms of computation that utilize the fractal organization of biological systems. Finally, the phenomenon of reincarnation and the possibility of life after the death of the body are pondered. Does the impossible only seem impossible because we have yet to create the technology to replicate the mysteries of nature?
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In episode 27 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses the proposal of a quantum soul. The soul is the part of you that survives your entire lifetime. In this episode, we discuss three properties of quantum mechanics that might provide a novel solution to this age-old mystery. First of all, we discuss the curious discovery of Bose-Einstein Condensation. This state of matter was observed in the laboratory when supercooling liquid helium down to two degrees above absolute zero. The liquid helium underwent a mysteries transformation where all of the individual atoms began to share a single wave function and move together coherently. In this carefully constructed scenario, we can witness quantum properties at the macroscopic scale. Bose-Einstein Condensation is relevant to theories of mind because it is the creation of a macroscopic unification of many parts – this might be what it is like to be a single person extended throughout a physical body. What if there was a network of Bose-Einstein Condensation that was quite literally YOU? Alternatively, your mind could be a conceptualized as a “conscious pilot,” a model proposed by Stuart Hameroff, where you move around in your brain shifting between different cognitive streams of information. But this begs the question, how could the conscious pilot survive for your entire lifetime? Even in quantum computer models of the mind, the wave function that is you undergoes a series of collapse events. These collapse events destroy the wave function and then a new wave function is created. What, if anything, could survive the repeated collapse of the wave function? We fall back to the null model wherein the continuity of your life is created through the information stored in the digital aspects of your brain. Each moment is a new experience and you are forever stuck in the present moment. Perhaps there is no soul and this moment is the first and last moment of your life? The continuity of your experience is created through digital storage mechanisms, but nothing beyond this digital information survives past a given moment of experience. The episode wraps up comparing these different quantum theories of the soul. Do you think you have a soul? Which theory best explains the continuity of our lives?
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In episode 26 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle: the idea that every quantum bit comprises a bit of information and a bit of entropy such that knowledge of one dimension reduced knowledge of the other. We can think of each qubit has having two perpendicular axes: zero/one and plus/minus. The state of the qubit represents a point moving around on these axes. When you measure a qubit in the zero/one dimension, then it ends up getting reduced to a zero or one. From that state, the plus/minus dimension is now equal probability. By knowing about one dimension, we induce entropy in the other. You can only make one measurement at a time, so it is impossible to know whether the system is zero/one and plus/minus at the same time. In practice, physical systems, like an atom, will exhibit uncertainty between their position and momentum. This is more than just our knowledge of the system. When you know the momentum, the position is maximally smeared out across all possible options. This changes what the future of the system will look like. Biology might be leveraging measurement to change the future of physical systems like ions. In an ion channel, the center of the ion channel is so small that the ion gets spatially measured when passing through the channel. This has a dramatic effect on the momentum of the ion which could facilitate the transport of the ion to other receptor proteins. In addition, the uncertainty principle might be relevant to understanding human cognition, in that our knowledge of certain properties might coexist within an uncertainty relationship like that of position and momentum. By learning about one property, we reduce our knowledge of the other property. This is quite the divergence from classical models of human cognition. Finally, a speculation on how the uncertainty principle might be reflective of some deeper uncertainty in ascertaining existential truth. Carl Jung suggested that we can only ever reach a half truth, and that the core of reality is brimming with paradoxes. The more you get closer to some truth, the further you are from its complimentary opposite, which is also true. This form of cosmic censorship through paradox could be the ultimate expression of the uncertainty principle. Join me on this exciting delve into the mysteries of human consciousness through the lens of quantum mechanics.
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In episode 25 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses quantum error correction, a protocol by which noise from the environment is actively counteracted in order to create quantum computations that are robust against the destructive chaos of the environment. Quantum computers are on the near horizon with companies like Google and IBM actively working to improve the technology. These computers will revolutionize information technology by providing a speed-up to the run time of algorithms at a scale that our minds struggle to comprehend. The enormity of an exponentially increasing space truly boggles the mind. For example, two shuffled decks of cards have a 1 in 10^67th chance of ending up in the same configuration. This is vastly greater than the number of grains of sand on the beach and atoms on and within the planet. While quantum computers promise to search these massive spaces in feasible time frames, any perturbation from the environment renders these computations unusable. Quantum error correction is required to salvage the utility of quantum computers. In digital error correction, we can provide redundant information about a bit of information such that chaotic forces can be reversed if that bit flips from a zero to a one or vice versa. Quantum error correction is similar but with the addition of a phase flip and bit+phase flip. Quantum error correction is currently being developed and quantum computers will become practical and fault tolerant in the near future, we just need to divide the advertised qubits in modern computers by 5 or 9. Finally, could biology being using a form of quantum error correction to make quantum computation in the brain more feasible? Looking at the Penrose-Hameroff microtubule model as an example, microtubules could each be encoding a single register of one fault tolerant qubit in their multiple topologies, or the topological arrangement of tubulin could serve as a fault tolerant qubit in itself. Furthermore, there may be protein systems designed to interface with microtubules that apply corrective quantum gates to the system in order to actively counteract destructive environmental forces. While speculative at this point, quantum error correction in biology could be the defining feature for how usable quantum computations are sustained for extended time frames giving rise to consciousness itself.
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In episode 24 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses why neuroscience is in need of a quantum revolution. This revolution is underway in the field of information technology and low-level biology. Quantum computers are actively being developed and are on the precipice of overcoming the computational power of digital computers. Meanwhile, biology is increasingly acknowledging the role that quantum mechanics plays in various processes, including photosynthesis and magnetic-field perception in birds. But what about neuroscience? Could quantum mechanics contribute to neural function and directly to our conscious experience? There are quite a few reasons why quantum computers align with the human experience: (1) Quantum computer design encourages the creation of a single large system, similar to the creation of single self within a body. (2) The collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics may provide room for freewill. (3) Non-local influences in quantum mechanics provide novel ways to describe meaning beyond arbitrary associations in a physical world.
While quantum mechanics provides novel solutions to solving the mysteries of consciousness, neuroscience reveals that the strongest correlate to human cognition is low-frequency electrical fluctuations in the brain. After a brief survey of recent research in the neural oscillatory basis of cognition, the potential alignment between neural oscillations and principles of quantum mechanics are discussed. While this connection is currently speculative, computational models of cognition are pointing towards human rationality exhibiting principles of quantum mechanics. There could be a very near future where descriptions of human psychology are quantum mechanical in nature and the parameters of these models relate to neural oscillations in the brain. While the details for how a quantum computer could be implemented in the brain is of critical need, cognitive neuroscience research can move forward utilizing these ideas in the meantime. -
In episode 23 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses quantum interrogation, the observation that in certain scenarios a quantum system can access the result of a measurement without actually making that measurement. This counterfactual measurement is best exemplified in the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb test, in which a bomb is determined to be real or a dud by sending a superposition at the bomb that shifts the probability distribution (or wave function) of a quantum system. The principle of counterfactual measurement applies to quantum computation: could you get the results of a quantum computation without actually running it? And to quantum cryptography: could you get someone’s password without actually changing the information stream? Finally, we wrap up the episode discussing the implications of counterfactual measurement to the human experience. If we accept the premise that each person is themselves a quantum computer, then could you simulate a possible future behavior and get the results of that simulation without actually performing the behavior? This episode definitely goes off the deep end, so hang in there until the end of the episode!
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In episode 22 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses the quantum Zeno effect, the idea that with rapid measurement a system can be locked into its current state indefinitely. In the previous episode, we talked about how movement is the transition of a system from a fixed physical state into a superposition of many different states, and then upon measurement again will end up in a new state. However, it takes time for the wavefunction to evolve into a broad enough superposition with sufficient chance of ending up in a new location. So, if you make a measurement really quickly, then the system will most likely stay in the same place that it started. This leads to some strange scenarios such as a radioactive isotope that never decays as long as you keep applying rapid measurement. Henry Stapp theorized that the quantum Zeno effect may be the primary mechanism for how effortful attention makes an impact on brain activity. First, the quantum computing mind is presented with multiple options for what to do or think next; each of these options is generated by the brain. Now the mind has a choice of which option to make a reality. The mind pays attention to this thought and with enough effortful attention, this attention will change the brain and manifest the decision. The decision to choose one thought over another is a collapse of the wavefunction towards that physical outcome; however, a single collapse may not be sufficient to change the brain. With repeated collapses of the wavefunction towards that choice, the brain will get locked into that physical state and the desired choice will start to take effect. We wrap up the episode thinking about obsessive-compulsive disorder, a psychiatric illness where it is difficult to break a mental habit. Can you harness your quantum mind to change your digital brain? Find out in this episode!
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In episode 21 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle discusses the idea of quantization in quantum mechanics. Early models of the universe viewed reality as comprising a continuous domain of space and continuous domain of time. However, observations in physics revealed that these simple models were inaccurate. All things in the universe are quantized into chunks of matter or light or energy. This discovery gave birth to the field of “quantum” physics which refers to a “quanta” or “unit” of energy. At a fundamental level, the universe is not smooth and continuous but composed of discrete jumps in space and time. Between two points in space and two points in time, there is nothing! There is just ‘here-and-now’ and ‘there-and-then’ with nothing between those space-time moments. This realization breaks down some basic assumptions that we make when we look out at the world around us. Movement is at a basic level a flickering between different discrete configurations. Smooth movement is an illusion!
What does all this mean for the mind? There are a couple different ways to understand the relation of our mind to a flickering physical universe. We could take our mind to be flickering as is suggested by the Stuart Hameroff & Roger Penrose model of orchestrated objective reduction, or we could view the quantum computational level as provided a substrate for continuous experience with a flickering digital body. - Show more
