CHRONICLES VIDEO VOL 1 VIDEO VOL 2 BLOG STORE SYNAPSES ABOUT US

BLOG
 

 

STUART HAMEROFF M.D. on Quantum Consciousness

Consciousness is viewed as an emergent property of computation among brain neurons, governed strictly by classical physics. In this conventional view, consciousness is epiphenomenal (occurring too late for conscious action), and strictly local, i.e. extending only within the limits of the brain.

Over the course of history, claims have been made for so-called parapsychological effects in which various aspects of mental states seem to communicate non-locally in space and time, e.g. telepathy, pre-cognition and out-of-body experiences. Such claims are not considered plausible in the classical physics view of consciousness and brain function. However non-locality is an essential feature in quantum physics which governs reality at small scales, and can have effects in our everyday world.

Non-local quantum entanglement, computation and coherence have been proposed to mediate consciousness, for example in the Penrose-Hameroff Orch OR model of quantum computation in microtubules within brain neurons. In principle, non-local entanglement among spatiotemporally separated conscious people or animals can occur.

  
   

Extract from the Why Are We Whispering? interview with Chronicles producer NICK DAY

Why is consciousness your passion?

"Something attracts me to the big, chewy subjects. A few years ago my co-producer Maurizio Benazzo and I made a film about the the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India, which is the biggest gathering in the history of humanity, with 70 million people attending. Afterwards we started asking ourselves, how on earth do we follow that? Many of the Indian yogis had talked about true reality being a single boundless consciousness, and it's a whole different way of seeing reality from the Western materialist approach where I'm "in here" and everything else is "out there" somewhere. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that consciousness really is the biggest one of all, because no matter which way you approach it, you bump into a major mystery: the notorious mind-body question. If we take the materialist view, that brain function gives rise to consciousness, then science cannot explain how or why that happens. Conversely, if we accept that consciousness is all there is, an equivalent question arises: how and why would pure consciousness give us an experience of this apparently solid world of physical laws, evolution and mathematics?"

What's the scope and goal of this DVD documentary series?

"The idea of The Consciousness Chronicles is to bring together some of the world's leading consciousness researchers and give them the opportunity to talk about their ideas in depth, and also find out what turns them on about the subject. We have participants from across the spectrum: neuroscientists, philosophers, psychotherapists, quantum physicists, and practitioners working in the field of consciousness transformation using meditation, hypnosis, and psychedelics, including the shamanic medicine ayahuasca. They're a pretty diverse bunch!"

What's in it for your viewers?

"Well, I think most of us are curious about what we really are from time to time, but all too often this curiosity gets overwhelmed by the routines of everyday life. Also, something in our Western culture makes us reluctant to get too self reflective, which is often seen as self indulgence. Which in some ways is tragic, because by taking time to tune into knowing ourselves better, we can attain a far deeper appreciation of the sheer miracle of our own existence! So the Chronicles opens a door on where we are as humans and what we are learning about ourselves and the universe we live in. But it's not just about knowledge. The basic formula is that knowledge, experience and introspection combined together give rise to wisdom, especially when we become conscious of consciousness itself. As I say, it's the big one."

How has this understanding and experience of consciousness improved your life?

"It operates on many levels. The deeper I go into all this, the more intensely I "feel" my own existence. I get a huge "wow" from something I read about in quantum physics or neuroscience, and that informs my inner experience of life, which in turn fuels curiosity for even deeper knowledge. I should add I also consider myself very lucky because as a filmmaker I get to talk to everyone across the spectrum, from hardcore neuroscientist to mystic. It's a real privilege."


Email feedback to mind@conscious-pictures.com

 

Full blog coming soon.