What the Bleep do we know?

[Swampcat]

<font color="yellow">"Of course the main point is the question of the possible intersection of the quantum world with consciousness, a fascinating supposition and while only one step beyond wild speculation, I for one will not be surprised to see it gain credence over the next few years/decades."</font><br /><br />I completely agree.<br /><br />There is still much research needed before we can discount the application of quantum physics to consciousness. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[chesh]

"All this movie is doing is misinforming the general public which is generally ignorant and gullible and willing to accept it's message openly without any forethought."<br /><br />You make Some interesting points. But in effect sci fi is mostly fiction and completely miscalls a good bit of physics. Warp drives, photon torpedoes, force fields, FTL macroscopic travel, AND time travel? Etc., etc., etc.<br /><br />If some persons can't distinguish between reality and fiction, then there's not much we can do for them, esp. if adults.<br /><br />Brain functions are NOT understood. There is a lot more understanding of it than there was 20 years ago, but in that time knowledge has just about increased 16 fold. <br /><br />That 5 years doubling time continues. Ask a simply question, how little must we know if our knowledge of brain science continue to double every 5 years, with no end in sight?<br /><br />We don't know that much about how human brains operate. We have NO general scientific model or theory about how behaviors and personalities are created, either. So on many levels, we have much to learn. <br /><br />You are very likely correct. One does agree that the essential of brain activity take place from a mass action, biochemical effect and involving large collections of membranes and neurochemicals, which are large masses of atoms. As Quantum processes are limitted to a very few electrons and atoms before the quantum processes simply disappear, it's terribly unlikely that 'quantum consciousness' is the case.<br /><br />The scale is simply too wrong. Neurons are the basic brain operators. Those are NOT quantum effect sizes, nor are their working components, the vesicles, masses of neurochemicals, the membranes or the axones which do the work & are well above the quantum level.<br /><br />So quantum processes of themselves cannot affect in any significant way, the way brain works. This has been argued more cogently than I can by M. Shermer, it seems. And it makes perfect sense.<</safety_wrapper>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

<font color="yellow"><i>"So quantum processes of themselves cannot affect in any significant way, the way brain works. This has been argued more cogently than I can by M. Shermer, it seems. And it makes perfect sense. "</i></font><br /><br />Let me toss out some food for thought. In certain semiconductors, QM effects are the method by which larger currents are controlled. We also use cascading effects (like in night vision scopes) so that 1 electron triggers an avalanche of others. So I might postulate that QM plays some role in consciousness by saying that some nerves get randomly stimulated from time to time. The brain works to filter these into some pattern that "makes sense". Much of the time it fails and the nonsense remains hidden but at times we get a spark of intuition or creative idea that rises to what we call consciousness. This as a result of some electron tunneling (in a QM fashion) through the brain's analog of a semiconductor junction and triggering an avalanche of electrons which in turn stimulates a nerve to fire. Macroscopic results from a QM trigger.<br /><br /><br />Just a thought for your consideration.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>