Knowledge Tree
Kelvin McQueen
Facts (10)
Sources
Non-physicalist Theories of Consciousness cambridge.org Dec 20, 2023 10 facts
claimProponents of consciousness collapse theories, including Wigner, Chalmers, and McQueen, were initially motivated by the belief that consciousness cannot exist in a superposed state, though they later encountered conflicts with the Zeno effect.
claimIn the proposal by David Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen, consciousness is 'superposition-resistant,' meaning that while consciousness may enter a superposition, it will quickly collapse on its own.
accountThe author acknowledges David Chalmers, Kelvin McQueen, Philip Goff, colleagues at the department seminar at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, and Morten Hassel Mørch for their contributions to the work.
referenceDavid Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen (2022) proposed a scientifically grounded version of the hypothesis that consciousness causes quantum collapse, building on earlier work by Henry Stapp (1993).
claimAccording to the Chalmers and McQueen proposal, when a superposed physical system like a particle or neuron is measured, it becomes entangled with consciousness and subsequently collapses.
claimDavid Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen modified their proposal to allow for the superposition of consciousness because an earlier version, which prohibited superposition, implied that consciousness could not change, a conclusion contradicted by the quantum Zeno effect.
claimThe hypothesis proposed by David Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen regarding consciousness and quantum collapse is empirically testable in principle, though it is not currently testable in practice.
claimDavid Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen maintain that the collapse interpretation of quantum mechanics is compatible with dualism.
claimChalmers and McQueen propose that conscious states cause the collapse of physical states in the brain, and these states do not necessarily have to be measurements.
claimEmpirical confirmation of the Chalmers and McQueen hypothesis would not confirm dualism, but it would demonstrate the possibility of a causal role for non-physical consciousness that is compatible with physics, thereby weakening the evidence for physical causal closure.