Consciousness and the Collapse of the Wave Function

  • March 4, 2020, 4:00 pm US/Central
  • David Chalmers, New York University
  • Dan Hooper
  • Video

Two of the hardest problems in contemporary science are the problem of quantum measurement and the problem of consciousness. There is a long history of trying to link them by arguing that consciousness plays a role in quantum measurement through the collapse of the wave function. This idea has never been made rigorous. I will explore ways of making it rigorous by combining it with mathematical theories of the brain-consciousness relation and of quantum collapse dynamics. I will also discuss possible empirical tests and philosophical consequences.

Chalmers03.04.20