Quantum panprotopsychism and the combination problem

A phenomenological analysis of consciousness, similar to Husserl's, reveals that phenomenal qualities shape perception and also influence how physical and mathematical sciences operate, enabling accurate descriptions of observed regularities through communicable mathematical laws. These laws describe behaviors, not intrinsic features of things. Classical mechanistic determinism leaves no room for novelty or intrinsic aspects, but quantum probabilistic determinism, with its ontology of objects, systems in states, and events, offers a different framework. An ontology of events with internal phenomenal aspects, known as panprotopsychism, better explains consciousness. Many objections to panpsychism, the combination problem, stem from classical physics assumptions about supervenience that are inappropriate at the quantum level, where exponential emergent properties arise. This analysis imposes conditions on possible quantum cognition mechanisms in the brain.

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Abstract

We will argue that a phenomenological analysis of consciousness, similar to that of Husserl, shows that the effects of phenomenal qualities shape our perception of the world. It also shows the way the physical and mathematical sciences operate, allowing us to accurately describe the observed regularities in terms of communicable mathematical laws. The latter say nothing about the intrinsic features of things. They only refer to the observed regularities in their behaviors, providing rigorous descriptions of how the universe works, to which any viable ontology must conform. Classical mechanistic determinism limits everything that can occur to what happens in an instant and leaves no room for novelty or any intrinsic aspect that is not epiphenomenal. The situation changes with quantum probabilistic determinism if one takes seriously the ontology that arises from its axioms of objects, systems in certain states, and the events they produce in other objects. As Bertrand Russell pointed out almost a century ago, an ontology of events, with an internal phenomenal aspect, now known as panprotopsychism, is better suited to explaining the phenomenal aspects of consciousness. The central observation of this paper is that many objections to panpsychism and panprotopsychism, which are usually called the combination problem, arise from implicit hypotheses based on classical physics about supervenience. These are inappropriate at the quantum level, where an exponential number of emergent properties and states arise. The analysis imposes conditions on the possible implementations of quantum cognition mechanisms in the brain.