Consciousness and the Universe: Quantum Physics, Evolution, Brain & Mind

A collection of 49 papers on the topic of human consciousness and its relationship to the quantum world. The lead paper is by Penrose who has long argued (and in my mind, very persuasively) for the connection between consciousness and the quantum world. Penrose describes why some of the electro-chemical reactions involved in consciousness are so small in size that they appear to be at the quantum world level. Most, if not all, of the other papers accept Penrose's position. Some of the discussions are a bit difficult to follow, and I certainly did not agree with all of them (e.g., relating to out-of-body or near death experiences and reincarnation), but most will reward the reader with a fuller understanding of space, time, the quantum world, the notorious "measurement problem" and the "hard problem" of human consciousness (how a collection of non-living physical particles swimming in an electro-magnetic field generate the illusion that we are conscious). There is no theory (or at least not in the secular world) that helps explain why we experience certain electro-magnetic waves as "blue" and others as "red" or why we even think we are conscious. Nor is it clear that consciousness has developed to the degree it has in humans because it contributes to survival of the species. Some papers attempt to describe difficulties inherent in the self-referential nature of using our own consciousness to analyze our own consciousness and how the observation of quantum phenomena (such as the collapse of the Shroedinger wave or the two slit experiment) affects not only the phenomenon being observed but also the observer making the observation, making any observation full of uncertainties.. The implications of Goodel's incompleteness theorem is discussed in connection with considering whether the mind computes reality using noncomputable truths, making it impossible for a man-made computer to attain consciousness (unless it is a quantum computer??) Is there an innate field in the universe arising with the original Big Bang that provides consciousness to biological life forms, like the gravity,r electromagnetic or Higgs fields (which supply electro-magnetic forces, gravitation and mass)? Do all particles exhibit elements of consciousness ("panpsychism")? Not all of the articles are easy to read, but for the reader searching for answers, it will be time well spent.

Varied, interesting and thought-provoking articles. Some were over my head, some seemed crazy, but some were unforgettable and great fun.

Very informative and thought provoking. Full of many really new concepts

I was disappointed in this 2nd book by Penrose as well. I was seeking a new understanding of human consciousness, god, advanced math, a more advanced understanding of the universe and how they might be related I was hoping to gain an better understanding of how the human brain can do things beyond what AI ever will. I was hoping that inside the human conscious mind that the ability to create would be based on a better understanding of what Penrose was putting forth. Maybe the conscious mind is what gets preserved upon death. It could be our soul itself. Perhaps consciousness is god given to humans and lives on forever. This could give hope to the idea that god is a much different entity than what is told us in the bible. I happen to think this is the case. I am going to return this book to Amazon as well. You have to accept everything that is written in the book and there is so much material, I know I will never get the answers I am looking for in a reasonable amount of time. It is much better to listen to narratives as currently done on Facebook and YouTube interviews of Penrose himself. It takes a lot less time. The good news is that Penrose Facebook and YouTube videos really stir your imagination quickly. Not so the Penrose books. Its like drinking from a fire hose full blast.

I confess I purchased this book by accident, intending to download the sample but ended up clicking the wrong button by mistake. Oh well ... The book is a very long collection of papers and essays that are somewhat disjointed. The underlying theme, of course, is consciousness, which nobody is able to define. That isn't surprising since the only things that can defined are those that can be objectified, observed and described in terms of other things. Consciousness can only be experienced -- not observed -- thereby making it impossible to define. The arguments presented were all over the map. Some of the papers were thought provoking, such as those discussing out-of-body experiences and reincarnation. There were numerous papers that tried to connect consciousness with quantum mechanics, but they amounted to a lot of hand waving and weren't very convincing in my opinion. [Here's my own rather simplistic explanation of this connection in a nutshell: Quantum mechanics is all about uncertainty. Furthermore, according to Shannon's definition, the term "information" itself is meaningless without assigning a probability to each possible outcome or state, and probability requires uncertainty. Uncertainty is a mental state, which only exists within the context of a mind. Therefore, Mind (consciousness) must be present at the fundamental, quantum mechanical, sub-basement level of reality.] The first paper presented the Penrose-Hameroff model of consciousness based on microtubules in great detail. It was fairly rigorous and well-grounded, but I believe the details would be way over the head of the casual reader. I'm not sure who the intended audience of this book is supposed to be. Probably not science experts, who are already familiar with the theories and research presented in these papers, but certainly not the lay persons who aren't very well-versed in quantum mechanics. I would have given this book a pass had I sampled it beforehand.

See above. As the articles are under the editorship of Penrose and Hameroff and Kak, one must attribute Hugh relevancy to the whole book. This is not for the educated layman, requiring a science and philosophy qualification of at least a graduate level. All in all a thoroughly readable and essential work, placing a humility upon the world of science sadly often missing in today’s times.

This is not easy reading, especially because of frequent typos and the tiny graphics becoming blurred beyond recognition when enlarged. Besides that, there is a wealth of information!

Bought it as I was super impressed by talks from Stuart and Roger. However this is far too technical.

This is far too technical for me. I have only managed about 2% of it, and I doubt if I will bother any more.

Cette compilation d'études est absolument remarquable que tout fan de physique quantique devrait consulter. Elle vaut 5 étoiles largement. Mais... quel dommage que comme presque toujours les éditeurs ne fassent aucun effort sur la lisibilité des schémas et autres figures. Ces visuels qui aident grandement à la compréhension de notions difficiles sont bâclés et illisibles, c'est honteux, c'est une injure au travail des chercheurs qui les ont produits. GRRRRR...

This is a very comprehensive coverage of topics which are undoubtedly linked. The question is how. It will take me some time to address this encyclopedic coverage but thus far I am very pleased with what I have read. Whether I have gained full comprehension is the question. But the task will be enjoyable And who knows? Maybe mind-blowing!?

Es un deleite leer lo que plasma una de las más grandes mentes de nuestro tiempo.