Causal potency of consciousness in the physical world
Danko D. Georgiev

TL;DR
This paper argues that classical physics cannot account for the causal power of consciousness, but quantum physics offers a consistent framework where consciousness influences physical processes, supporting free will and cultural transmission.
Contribution
It introduces a quantum-based theory of consciousness that resolves the causal impotence problem faced by classical physics models.
Findings
Classical physics models lead to causally impotent consciousness.
Quantum physics allows for causally potent conscious experiences.
Quantum measurement processes enable free will and influence on physical states.
Abstract
The evolution of the human mind through natural selection mandates that our conscious experiences are causally potent in order to leave a tangible impact upon the surrounding physical world. Any attempt to construct a functional theory of the conscious mind within the framework of classical physics, however, inevitably leads to causally impotent conscious experiences in direct contradiction to evolution theory. Here, we derive several rigorous theorems that identify the origin of the latter impasse in the mathematical properties of ordinary differential equations employed in combination with the alleged functional production of the mind by the brain. Then, we demonstrate that a mind--brain theory consistent with causally potent conscious experiences is provided by modern quantum physics, in which the unobservable conscious mind is reductively identified with the quantum state of the…
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