On a Physical Metatheory of Consciousness

TL;DR

This paper proposes a physical metatheory of consciousness based on quantum mechanics and decoherence, suggesting a broad physical framework that links consciousness with cosmological phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach connecting quantum decoherence with consciousness, extending physical theories to include consciousness on cosmological scales.

Findings

Decoherence conditions imply a physical basis for consciousness.

Consciousness may have a definable physical origin.

A broad physical framework links consciousness with cosmology.

Abstract

We show that the modern quantum mechanics, and particularly the theory of decoherence, allows for formulating a sort of a physical metatheory of consciousness. Particularly, the analysis of the necessary conditions for the occurrence of decoherence, along with the hypothesis that consciousness bears (more-or-less) well definable physical origin, leads to a wider physical picture naturally involving consciousness. This can be considered as a sort of a psycho-physical parallelism, but on rather wide scales bearing some cosmological relevance.