HOW OUR THOUGHTS CAN INFLUENCE OUR ACTIONS

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HOW OUR THOUGHTS CAN INFLUENCE OUR ACTIONS

• Quantum Theory Of The
• Mind-Brain Connection.

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Quotes From Some Top Neuroscientists On The
Connection Between Mind and Brain

• Taken from a Special Issue of
• Scientific American The Hidden Mind.
• August 2002

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Antonio Damasio

• At the start of the new millennium, it is
  apparent that one question towers above all
  others in the life sciences How does the set of
  processes we call mind emerge from the activity
  of the organ we call brain?

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Damasio (Continued)

• some thinkers believe the question to be
  unanswerable in principle
• The naysayers argue that exhaustive compilation
  of all these data (of neuroscience) adds up to
  correlates of mental states but to nothing
  resembling an actual mental state. (His
  emphasis)

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Antonio Damasio (Continued)

• In fact, the explanation of the physics related
  to biological events is still incomplete and
  the finest level of description of mind might
  require explanation at the quantum level.

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Francis Crick and C. Koch

• The overwhelming question in neurobiology today
  is the relationship between the mind and the
  brain.

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Crick Koch (Continued)

• Radically new concepts may indeed be
  needed---recall the modifications in scientific
  thinking forced on us by quantum mechanics.

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In Summary

• The problem of the mind-brain connection
• It Is Still Far From Being Solved!
• The Solution May Involve Introducing Quantum
  Mechanics,
• Or Some Comparable Radical Change.

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PSYCHOLOGISTS ALSO STUDY CONSCIOUSNESS!

• WILLIAM JAMES (1890, p.138) consciousness seems
  to be an organ, superadded to the other organs
  which maintain the animal in its struggle for
  existence

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WILLIAM JAMES (CONTINUED)

• and the presumption of course is that it helps
  him in some way in this struggle, just as they
  do. But it cannot help him without being in some
  way efficacious and influencing the course of his
  bodily history.''

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James then examines the circumstances under which
consciousness actually appears, and ends up
saying

• The conclusion that it is useful is, after all
  this, quite justifiable.
• But if it is useful it must be so through its
  causal efficaciousness, and the automaton-theory
  must succumb to common-sense'' (James 1890,
  p.144).

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The Automaton Theory Is Precisely The Theory
Entailed By Classical Mechanics.

• Classical Mechanics Claims That All Physical
  Properties Are Determined By Earlier Physical
  Properties Alone, With No Reference To The
  Contents Of Our Streams of Conscious
  Experiences---
• With No Reference To Our Thoughts, Ideas,
  And Feelings.

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• A classically conceived brain is like a clockwork
  mechanism,
• except that it excretes a stream of conscious
  experiences, much like a liver excretes bile.
• But Bile Causally Affects Our Bodily Processes,
  Whereas, According To Classical Mechanics,
• Our Conscious Experiences Do Not Affect Our
  Bodily Processes!

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Thus William James Rejects The Classical-Mechanics
-Based Conception Of The Mind-Brain Connection

• Because it does not allow consciousness
  be useful for human survival, which, according to
  his detailed study, it seems to be!

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BUT IF THE KNOWN-TO-BE-FALSE CLASSICAL MECHANICS
, NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BY SOMETHING RADICALLY
DIFFERENTWHY NOT TRY IT (APPARENTLY) VALID
SUCCESSOR, QUANTUM MECHANICS

• This replacement immediately resolves the
  automaton problem, because

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The Mechanical Determinism Entailed By Classical
Mechanics Is Bottom-Up It Stems From The
Determinism At The Microscopic Level Of The
Classically Postulated Point-Like Particles.
Whereas

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Orthodox Quantum Mechanics Says The
Point-Like-Particle-Realities Postulated By
Classical Physics Do Not Exist! Thus
Switching To Quantum Mechanics Nullifies The
Conceptual Basis Of The Notion Of Mechanical
Determinism!
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MOREOVER,Quantum Mechanics Injects Our Conscious
Thoughts Into The Dynamics In A Way That
Allows Them ToAid Our Bodily Survival,As
William James Said They Appear To Do.
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Quantum Theory Is Explicitly A Theory Of
Observations. It Was Designed To Explain, In
Terms Of Physical Concepts, Certain Observed
Statistical Relationships Between Elements Of Our
Streams Of Conscious Experiences.IT IS ABOUT THE
MIND-PHYSICS CONNECTION!Consequently, It Is An
Appropriate Framework For Approaching The
Mind-Brain Connection.

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Bohr On QM and Observation

• In our description of nature the purpose is not
  to disclose the real essence of phenomena but
  only to track down as far as possible relations
  between the multifold aspects of our experience.
• the formalism does not allow pictorial
  representation along accustomed lines, but aims
  directly at establishing relations between
  observations obtained under conditions described
  by simple physical concepts.

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Wigner on Consciousness

• It was not possible to formulate the laws of
  quantum mechanics in a fully consistent way
  without reference to the consciousness.

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REMARK

• In A Satisfactory Theory Of Nature, Our
  Streams of Conscious Experiences, Should Be
  Causally Connected To The Physical,
• Rather Than Being Other-Worldly Interlopers
  That Can Somehow Understand or Feel The
  Meanings Of Neural Activities Without
  Participating In The Action.
• Quantum Theory Does Inject Consciousness
  Into The Action!

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The Possible States Of A Physical System As
Conceived In Classical Physics.

• Consider a physical system (such a someones
  brain)
• According to the precepts of classical physics a
  possible state of that system is specified by
  assigning to each particle in that system both a
  well defined location (position) and a well
  defined velocity (or better, momentum pmv), and
  giving the analogous values also for the
  Electro-Magnetic and Gravitational fields.

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Classical Statistical Mechanics

• On The Basis Of Our Knowledge Of The Results Of
  Some Initial Preparation Process
• We Distribute A Unit (Total) Probability Over The
  Points In The Space of All Possible States
• We Then Allow This Probability Distribution To
  Evolve (Change In Time) In Accordance With The
  Physical Equations of Motion Of The System.
• We Then Assert That The Probability At Any Later
  Time T That The Actual System Will Be In A
  Region R In The State Space Is
• The Part Of The Evolved Probability Distribution
  That Lies In Region R At Time T.

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The Generalness of Preparation and Observation In
Classical Statistical Mechanics

• In Classical Statistical Mechanics One Can In
  Principle
• Prepare The System In The Statistical State
  Specified By Any Conceivable Distribution Of The
  Probability Over The State Space.
• And, For Any Chosen Region R Of State Space, No
  Matter How Small, Or How Oddly Shaped, One Can
  Also, In Principle
• Observe Whether Or Not The Actual System Lies In
  Region R.

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Preparation and Observation In Quantum Mechanics.

• Quantum Mechanics Is Analogous To Classical
  Statistical Mechanics.
• However, Arbitrary Physically Described
  Probability Distributions Cannot Be Prepared.
• And Observations Corresponding To Arbitrary
  Classically Conceived Regions R Are Not Allowed.
• Only Specially Shaped Finite-Sized Distributions
  Can Be Prepared Or Observed!

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Complete Sets Of Compatible Observations

• Only Certain Sets Of Observations Are
  Compatible With Each Other.
• A Complete Set Of Compatible States Can Fill
  Up The State Space Of Classical Mechanics With
  Almost Non-Overlapping Regions R Of Finite
  Size.
• But The Allowed Regions R Cannot Be Shrunk To
  Less Than A Certain Size.

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Quantum Wholeness

• Quantum Theory Enforces
• The Essential Element of Wholeness, Symbolized
  By The Quantum Of Action And Completely Foreign
  To Classical Physical Principles. (Bohr)
• Trying To Understand The Connection Of Conscious
  To Brain Activity Within Classical Mechanics Is
  Futile Because That Theory
• (1) Does Not Logically/Conceptually Connect Brain
  Activity To Consciousness, and
• (2) Fails To Impose The Essential Element of
  Wholeness (Discreteness).

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Quantum Represents The State Of A System By a
Matrix.

• An N-by-N Matrix Is Like Crossword Puzzle With N
  Rows And N Columns, But With All The Boxes Filled
  With Numbers.
• The Quantum State Of A Physical System (Such As
  Some Persons Brain) Is Represented By An N-by-N
  Matrix.
• The N Rows Correspond To N Distinct Compatible
  Possible Observations.
• Likewise For The N Columns

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Quantum State Of A Brain With Fight And
Flight Templates for Action Shaded.
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Effect Of Decoherence
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Effect of Process 1 Action
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The Causal Gap and Process 1

• The Way That The Classically Conceived State
  Space Is Partitioned Into A Set Of Discrete
  Mutually Compatible Possible Observational States
  Is Not Specified By The Rules Of Quantum
  Mechanics There Is a Causal Gap.
• In Actual Scientific Practice The Choice Of The
  Partitioning Needed To Connect The Physical
  Description To Observation Is A Free Choice
  Made By An Experimenter
• Von Neumann Labels It Process 1

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Bohr on Free Choice

• "The freedom of experimentation... corresponds to
  the free choice of experimental arrangement for
  which the mathematical structure of the quantum
  mechanical formalism offers the appropriate
  latitude." (Bohr, 1958, p.73)
• Our possibilities of handling the measuring
  instruments allow us only to make a choice
  between the different complementary types of
  phenomena that we want to study. (Bohr, 1958, p.
  51)

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Physical Effect Of An Intentional Action

• A Partitioning Of The State Space Into The
  Discrete Parts Is Needed To Tie The Physical
  Description To An Observation To Our Knowledge.
• It Is Linked To A Conscious Intent.
• The Next Figure Indicates How This
  Intention-Driven Process I Action Divides The Set
  Of Diagonal (Quasi-Classical) Elements Into A Set
  Of Discrete Parts.

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Effect Of Process 1 Plus Decoherence
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Effect of Yes Outcome
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Effect of Schroedinger Evolution
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Attention and Intention

• Focused Attention Intensifies The Mental Image Of
  The Intended Action.
• Postulate Focusing Attention Increases The Rate
  Of The Process 1 Actions.
• This Postulate Begins To Fill The Causal Gap In
  The Currently Existing Quantum Dynamics.

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The Quantum Zeno Effect

• The Rules Of Quantum Theory Imply That If The
  Process 1 Probing Action (Shown Above) Is
  Repeated Sufficiently Rapidly On The Yes State
  (Shown Above) Then The Diffusion Effect Shown
  Above Will Be Curtailed, And The State Will
  Remain Essentially Confined To The Sub-Space of
  States Specified By Yes, (Shown Above) In Which
  The Fight Template For Action Is Activated.

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Fits Beautifully With PsychologyWilliam James
On Effort/Will

• Everywhere, then, the function of the effort is
  the same to keep affirming and adopting the
  thought which, if left to itself, would slip
  away. (James, 1892, p. 421)
• The essential achievement of the will, in short,
  when it is most voluntary,' is to attend to a
  difficult object and hold it fast before the
  mind. ... Effort of attention is thus the
  essential phenomenon of will.
• (James 1892, p. 417-18.)

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Supporting Evidence

• Schwartz, Stapp, Beauregard,
• Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B 360, 1305-27
• (2005)