QUANTUM THEORY, INFORMATION DYNAMICS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MIND AND MATTER

There seems to be general agreement amongst researchers investigating detailed structures in the brain that concepts like mind and consciousness will ultimately have their explanation in terms of classical physics with quantum mechanics playing no role at these higher levels. However classical physics excludes the observer, whereas the higher level activities of the brain involve the observer in the form of a subject in a very fundamental way. In quantum theory the observer plays a crucial role and there are general arguments which suggest that quantum theory will play a key role at this level. In this paper I will discuss the reasons for adopting such a position.

I will discuss Bohr’s contribution to the mind/matter debate, a contribution which depends on the recognition that there is an element of wholeness in quantum processes that leads to general problems concerning the separation of subject from object. I will show how the work I did with Bohm led to similar conclusions, albeit from a very different point of view. Our view suggests that physical processes contain an organic element that is based on the notion of active information. I also present some more general ideas which replace the Cartesian order by a more subtle order, the implicate order which I feel offers the best possibility of bridging the gap between the basic underlying neurophysics and the top down psychophysics.