Dear Sir,

You have rightly observed that “Consciousness is composed of qualia and free-will, and both need new physics”. Qualia are variously defined as the qualities that are accessible to us when we introspect - that which together make up the phenomenal character of the experience, properties of sense data or the subjective or qualitative properties of experiences - a quality or...

view entire post

Dear Sir,

You have rightly observed that “Consciousness is composed of qualia and free-will, and both need new physics”. Qualia are variously defined as the qualities that are accessible to us when we introspect - that which together make up the phenomenal character of the experience, properties of sense data or the subjective or qualitative properties of experiences - a quality or property as perceived or experienced by a person. Qualia are also defined as intrinsic non-representational properties or properties of experiences that are also ineffable, nonphysical, and ‘given’ to their subjects incorrigibly. This leads to our response to the external impulse: first either attraction or repulsion or indeterminate. These generate the readiness potential, which executes the command issued by our freewill. In general terms, it implies observation or measurement, its cognition, and response. To that extent, it is physics. But since it is not directly related to the external physical world, but our internal process and response, it is not covered by the present day physics. It needs new physics.

Our ancients called these Guna, which literally means quality by which we measure something. They divided these qualities into 17 universal and 7 emergent qualities. Apart from freewill, they assigned four qualities to measure consciousness, which are really basic responses to experiences or external stimuli – that which leads to generation of pleasure, pain, happiness, sorrow, etc.

You have also rightly observed that “Free-will is based also on quantum consciousness”. But there is a need for caution here because the word “quantum consciousness” could mislead. It is not quantized consciousness in the generally understood sense in quantum theories. The basic difference between quantum and classical is the difference between unit and composite characteristics. Quantum particles exhibit unitary characteristics. Classical objects exhibit composite non-linear characteristics. However, everything related to consciousness is linear. While the objects of perception may differ, the content of the perception: “I know this (the received impulse) is like that (concept experience by me earlier which was called by this name). Hence this (object) is that”. This format is universal in all cognitions by all living beings at all times and all places. However, “concept experience by me earlier which was called by this name” could be different for different persons. This unitary experience can be called quantum consciousness.

The neuron is the cell that has the property of being electrically excitable, thus making it possible to convey information to other such cells. You have examined it at length. But one must note how the neurons behave just before death and immediately after death. Although neurons are the longest living cells in the body, large numbers of them die during migration and differentiation. The lives of some neurons can take abnormal turns. Some diseases of the brain are the result of the unnatural deaths of neurons. Dead brain cells, or neurons, are eliminated through phagocytosis, a process performed by scavenger cells in the body called phagocytes. Medical study into near-death and out-of-body experiences has discovered that some awareness may continue even after the brain has shut down completely – when the energy that activates the cells is gone. This shows that neurons are part of a conscious process, but cannot explain consciousness on their own. The existence of external observers are proved from the universalization of perception: all healthy persons perceive the same thing as is proved by their identical description of the individual experience.

The mechanism of free-will is completely in accordance with quantum mechanics, but whether freewill itself can be so explained is debatable. Command and control functions are different from execution and instrumentalities.

Time is not the same as a clock. It arises from our concepts of interval and sequence. The sequentially ordered intervals between objects are space and that for events is time. Since intervals have no markers to describe them, we use alternative symbolism of the boundary objects or events to define space and time respectively. In the absence of matter (objects), there can be no event (changes in objects). Thus, there will be no time. Regarding dimension, kindly visit our essay.

You are right about panpsychism and emergent consciousness, though it may not be related to carbon atoms only. Think of electricity. We all know about it, but no one has “seen” it. We know about it from its effects. The same electricity appears as light, air, cold, hot, etc., based on the instrument through which it reveals itself. Similarly, Consciousness is all pervading, but appears differently depending upon the medium through which it is revealed.

We enjoyed your essay thoroughly.

Regards,

basudeba

view post as summary

Dear Sir,

You are absolutely correct that “genes were not enough to obtain the goal of survival in evolution”, because genes are body matter that ceases to function when we die. Even when we are alive, the genes die and new genes are born. The “goal of survival” are a conscious function. If the genes carry out these functions, they must be conscious. But when a gene dies, how does...

view entire post

Dear Sir,

You are absolutely correct that “genes were not enough to obtain the goal of survival in evolution”, because genes are body matter that ceases to function when we die. Even when we are alive, the genes die and new genes are born. The “goal of survival” are a conscious function. If the genes carry out these functions, they must be conscious. But when a gene dies, how does it pass on consciousness, so that we have the memory of past events? If they pass on the memory to another agency, only that agency must be conscious and not genes.

Qualia are individual instances of subjective and conscious experience. The phenomenal character of an experience is what it is like subjectively to undergo the experience. If one is told to focus his/her attention upon the phenomenal character of his/her experience, he/she will find that in doing so he/she is aware of certain qualities. These qualities — the ones that are accessible to he/she when he/she introspect. That which together makes up the phenomenal character of the experience, are called ‘qualia’. Since these experiences also involve genes, the same problems arise here also.

The view that “the goals are things of genes” is not correct. What are goals? We “feel” a “need” to “rectify some deficiency”. If we have the “knowledge” about the “mechanism for rectifying the needs”, then only we will have a “desire to act”. This is the goal. The determination to translate the goal to achievement in a specific way, is our freewill. The freewill determines the action to be executed. Only thereafter, the readiness potential is developed in the brain, which signals the different body parts to execute that command through the network of genes. Hence goals are not things of genes as Dawkins suggests. As you have correctly pointed out, “all biological creatures are guided by consciousness, which is composed of (perception of) qualia and free-will”.

The wavefunction collapse, if true, is physically very similar to free-will decision. But we have reservations about the “collapse”. What is the meaning of conscious agent and whether observation interferes with time evolution? Is the cat an intelligent observer? If not, what is the definition of an intelligent observer and how that definition is not applied in the case of the cat? Further, we do not see or observe by light, but only when the “reflected light” reaches our eyes or the instrument for observation. The reflected light need not necessarily be sent by us. But still we can observe the same state.

You are also correct about the ego. However, though it is not perceptible, it is better to designate it individualistic than atomic. Unlike Tononi, if you can focus on memory, it will explain the random nature of freewill. Panpsychism, if interpreted properly, will explain consciousness. However, most people confuse the issue because they do not have a universal definition of consciousness.

We enjoyed your essay thoroughly.

Regards,

basudeba

view post as summary