From: mk_thisisit
The emergence of human consciousness from physical processes is a profound mystery [00:08:52]. While it’s a generally accepted fact that humans possess consciousness and inanimate objects do not, the fundamental mechanism behind its appearance remains elusive [00:09:07].
The Hard Problem of Consciousness
The core challenge in understanding consciousness is known as the “hard problem” [00:09:26]. This problem arises because the human brain, like all matter, is composed of molecules, atoms, and specific systems [00:09:35]. The question is: if individual particles do not possess an internal world of subjective experiences or conscious self-awareness, how does collecting many such particles result in the rich internal world of visual impressions, smells, and other subjective experiences that each person has [00:09:42]? Currently, no one can definitively answer how a collection of “mindless particles” gains consciousness [00:10:52].
Hypotheses on Consciousness’s Origin
Panpsychism (Pro-Consciousness in Particles)
One proposed idea suggests that the fundamental assumptions of the hard problem might be flawed [00:10:07]. This perspective posits that perhaps particles themselves, such as electrons, quarks, and protons, possess a rudimentary form of “pro-consciousness” or “a little bit of consciousness” [00:10:12]. If this were true, then even objects like a chair, composed of these particles, would have some primitive form of consciousness [00:10:30]. While this concept attempts to bridge the gap, it is not widely accepted, as it still doesn’t fully explain the emergence of complex subjective experience [00:10:40].
Consciousness as an Emergent Phenomenon
A more common intuition, particularly among physicists, is that consciousness somehow emerges as an “emergent phenomenon” [00:11:27]. This view suggests that when particles, molecules, and atoms are arranged in a sufficiently coherent and complex way, consciousness arises from their interactions [00:11:34]. However, the specific mechanism by which this emergence occurs remains unknown [00:11:41]. There is an optimistic belief that one day this mechanism will be understood [00:11:56].
Some critics argue against this emergent view, believing that you cannot derive consciousness from something that is not conscious [00:12:01]. They contend that a collection of non-conscious particles cannot simply be connected to produce consciousness [00:12:06].
The Role of Quantum Physics
There are theories, notably by Roger Penrose, that propose human consciousness arises at the quantum level within the brain [00:12:20]. While quantum physics is acknowledged as crucial to the behavior of all physical objects in the universe, including the particles, atoms, molecules, and cells that form the brain and ultimately consciousness, there is no direct evidence that the structure of quantum mechanics necessarily leads to the emergence of consciousness [00:12:39]. Instead, it is considered that the laws of physics, combined with ordered structures, provide the substrate for consciousness to occur [00:13:17].
Consciousness and Free Will
The question of free will is deeply intertwined with the nature of consciousness [00:14:18]. If consciousness is reducible to physical, biological, and chemical processes, then the conclusion that free will does not exist becomes almost inevitable [00:14:26].
The argument is that if the components of consciousness (particles) are governed by the laws of physics, then there is no ability for a person to interfere with their natural, law-abiding course [00:14:53]. When a decision is made or a thought appears, if consciousness is simply the movement of molecules, then these movements cannot be controlled, and consequently, what happens internally cannot be controlled [00:15:11].
However, the concept of determinism differs between classical and quantum physics [00:15:38]:
- Classical Physics: Predicts the exact state of a system at any future moment based on initial conditions and physical laws [00:15:45].
- Quantum Physics: Predicts the probability of a system being in a certain state in the future [00:16:16]. These probabilities are deterministic in quantum physics [00:16:38].
Therefore, while there might be no free will, the future is not entirely predictable with 100% certainty because quantum physics allows for an “open space” of probabilities, unlike classical physics [00:17:07].
Human Thoughts and Entropy
If thoughts are considered physical processes, they are subject to the laws of thermodynamics [00:17:42]. Every physical process, including thought, requires energy and results in an increase in entropy [00:18:04]. Entropy represents the degradation of energy into a less useful form, or an increase in disorder [00:18:26].
Even seemingly ordered processes, like human thought, generate entropy within the body [00:19:06]. In the far distant future, as the universe’s temperature drops, a point will be reached where the universe can no longer absorb this generated entropy [00:19:17]. At that time, if a thinking being were to have one more thought, it would “burn up in the entropic waste” created by the thought process [00:19:34]. This suggests a future where the possibility for thinking, and indeed any living system or physical process, will cease to exist as entropy reaches its maximum [00:19:43].