Physics, Consciousness, and the Mind

In General > s.a. computation [artificial intelligence]; philosophy [mind-body problem]; sound [speech].
* History: 1860–1870s, W S Jevons' attempt to construct a mechanical model of the mind, influenced by the logic of Boole and the calculating machines of Babbage; 1949, After computers and Ryle's book (the souls is the "ghost in the machine"), consciousness became almost passé (M Minsky, the biggest challenge is giving computers common sense); 1950, Turing test proposed; 1990s, Consciousness is not so simple; 1996, IBM's Deep Blue won one game against Garry Kasparov, many articles in popular press but not a good test.
* Not a computer: The claim that our mind is not a biological computer is based on an erroneous argument by J Lucas (1961); only R Penrose and a few others believe it.
@ Memory: Beardsley SA(97)aug; Cooper IJMPA(00); Fields SA(05)feb [persistence].
@ Brain and mind: issue SA(92)sep; Devlin 97; Damasio SA(99)dec; Grenander 12 [theory of human thought based on pattern theory].
@ And computers: Turing Mind(50); Penrose 89; Johnson ThSc(90); Penrose 94; Time 1.04.96; Casti 99; Redhead BJPS(04) [mathematical truths].
@ Remembering vs knowing: Tulving AS(89).
@ Perception: Yolton 62 [and thought], 96 [and reality].
@ Visualizing: Aichle SA(94)apr.
@ Related topics: Coppens SA(94)may [emergence of thought]; Provine AS(96) [laughter]; Wakeling & Bak PRE(01) [computer simulation of intelligence]; Cook SHPS(05) [Boole, Babbage, and mechanical models]; Kauffman a0907 [physics and philosophy of the mind]; Fox SA(11)jul [limits of intelligence]; Zizzi a1205 [non-algorithmic side].

Consciousness
* Idea: In some ways it has replaced the idea of "soul."
* Materialist line: Consciousness is just the brain, or it doesn't exist (Ryle, Dennett).
* New Mysterians: Consciousness will always remain mysterious; scientific outlook, accept AI, but why do humans have subjective experiences and feelings? (Chalmers, McGlinn).
* Hard questions: Do humans have anything extra, besides physical processes, and if so is consciousness part of it? How is physical info turned into subjective experience ("water into wine")?
* Experimentally: 1996, Cog, a robot with sensitive skin that will react in different ways to stimuli, being developed at MIT.
@ General references: Jahn & Dunne 87; Edelman 89; Radin & Nelson FP(89) [reported anomalies in physical systems]; Squires 90; Nelkin PhSc(93)sep; Walker 00; Song a0705 [non-computability].
@ Problem: Chalmers 96; McGlinn 96; Byrne & Hall by(99).
@ Understood: Ryle 49; Dennett 91; Hofstadter 07.
@ And physics / science: Glynn Nat(90)dec [time]; Zohar & Marshall 91; Horgan SA(94)jul; Chalmers SA(94)dec; Mindell 00; Rosinger qp/05; Mensky 10; Mitra & Mitra-Delmotte JCosm(11)-a1102.
@ Related topics: Eastmond gq/02 [doomsday argument]; Georgiev qp/02, qp/02 [neuromolecular model].

Mind and Quantum Mechanics > s.a. quantum measurement, collapse and states [subjective]; physics [math-matter-mind].
@ General references: Penrose in(88); Lockwood 89; Donald PRS(90); Hodgson 91; Herbert 93; Rosu MR(97)gq/94; PW(94)aug, p29; Snyder 95; Nanopoulos hp/95; Stapp qp/95; Vitiello qp/96-proc; Mould FP(99); Stapp FP(01)qp vs Mohrhoff FP(02)qp/01; Josephson Biosys(02)qp/01; Collins phy/01; Page in(02)qp/01; Lopez-Corredoira qp/02 [quantum mechanics does not imply free will]; Roy & Kafatos qp/03, qp/03; Manousakis FP(06) [consciousness as basis for quantum mechanics]; Rosenblum & Kuttner 06 [criticism Nauenberg FP(07)-a0705, AJP(07)dec, Mermin AJP(07)dec, reply AJP(07)dec]; Marin EJP(09) [history]; Mensky 10; Rosenblum & Kuttner 11; Svozil a1102; Page a1102 ["mindless sensationalism"].
@ Mind needs quantum mechanics: Penrose in(87); Stapp qp/95, qp/97/JCS, JCS(99)qp, 04; Lisewski qp/99; Dugić et al qp/00-conf [decoherence]; Khrennikov BioSys-qp/02 [brain as quantum-like computer]; Kurita qp/04.
@ Mind does not need quantum mechanics: Tegmark PRE(00)qp/99 [decoherence].
@ Psychology and physics: Mohrhoff qp/00, qp/03-ch [and quantum mechanics].
@ And physics: Pérez qp/95; Arhem et al ed-97; Mould qp/02 etc [measurement]; Donald qp/02 [mind-body problem]; Sassoli de Bianchi PE-a1207 [psychophysical ingredients not needed to explain the measurement processes].
@ Self-aware universe: Kafatos & Nadeau 90; Goswami et al 93.
@ Related topics: Page in(95)qp/95 [Bohmian quantum mechanics and consciousness]; Mould FP(98), qp/99 [model]; Zeh FPL(00)qp/99 ["many minds"]; Mohrhoff qp/01 [Vedantic view]; Donald qp/03 [Stapp's work].

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send feedback and suggestions to bombelli at olemiss.edu – modified 5 apr 2013