One of the main issues in consciousness research is widely known as the hard problem of consciousness. The core of the hard problem amounts to the question of how a physical system such as the human brain can give rise to the rich spectrum of sensations and emotions that make up our subjective experiences. The challenge is to find an integrated approach for the understanding of the physical world and the inner world (consciousness) as well as their interdependence. Currently, my research activities focus on the development of a conceptual framework for consciousness that is geared to laying the foundations for a fundamental theory of consciou…
One of the main issues in consciousness research is widely known as the hard problem of consciousness. The core of the hard problem amounts to the question of how a physical system such as the human brain can give rise to the rich spectrum of sensations and emotions that make up our subjective experiences. The challenge is to find an integrated approach for the understanding of the physical world and the inner world (consciousness) as well as their interdependence. Currently, my research activities focus on the development of a conceptual framework for consciousness that is geared to laying the foundations for a fundamental theory of consciousness. A central characteristic of the framework is a deeper understanding of the quantum world. The framework opens up new perspectives for consciousness research and sheds new light on the functioning of the brain.
The core message of my approach is that consciousness as such is not produced by the brain. Rather, I posit that consciousness is based on an all-pervasive substrate. From this perspective, individual consciousness results from the dynamic interaction between the brain and this substrate, or in other words, whenever the activity of the brain leaves a fingerprint (an information state) in this substrate, it generates a conscious state.
This is a very elegant approach. However, it raises three key questions:
1. What kind of substrate carries consciousness?
2. How does the interaction mechanism work?
3. Is there evidence that conscious processes in the brain rely on this mechanism?
Interestingly, stochastic electrodynamics (SED), a promising theoretical framework that provides a deeper understanding of quantum physics, gives the answers to these questions. SED furnishes the substrate as well as the appropriate mechanism and the neurophysiological body of evidence suggests that exactly this mechanism can be found in the brain.