When exploring the universe, very few people understand the nature of “consciousness.” Even scientists believe that the mechanism behind the formation of “consciousness” is a mystery that humanity may never fully unravel.
At present, all research on consciousness is inextricably linked to the brain. To put it bluntly, the entire process of studying human consciousness is an effort to understand the workings of the brain. This is an incredibly challenging field of study, one that cannot be done alone. Consciousness is also related to life and death, fundamental issues that humanity has grappled with for thousands of years without uncovering their essence.
However, quantum mechanics has opened up a new direction. This theory, originally aimed at describing the microscopic world, has actually provided us with a fresh perspective on the birth and death of consciousness.
Consciousness refers to the activity of a high-level neural network concerning cognition, reasoning, understanding, and self-awareness. While we currently cannot fully grasp the causes of consciousness, many previous studies suggest that not only humans possess consciousness, but some animal species also have self-awareness. Animals can exhibit emotional memory and certain social skills, and in some aspects, they even outperform humans. (Image: Zhihu)
According to the explanation of quantum mechanics, everything in the universe is fundamentally made up of information and energy, both of which are immortal. Human death is more accurately described as physical death in the material sense, but all that constitutes a human – atoms – will not disappear from the universe; they will recombine into other forms after physical death.
If we examine the human brain under a microscope, we find that it is actually composed of countless cells. Each cell is made up of extremely small particles. In other words, our brain is essentially a complex system made up of innumerable tiny particles. (Image: Zhihu)
Consciousness can be regarded as information at a certain level, so from the perspective of quantum mechanics, consciousness may continue to exist after the human body dies, although this has yet to be confirmed. Beyond the immortality of consciousness, the theory of parallel quantum universes related to quantum mechanics posits that there are countless universes beyond our own, in which our lives continue to exist in different forms and experiences. In fact, in one universe, we may have died, but in another universe, we may still be alive.
They even believe that every decision made by individuals causes the universe to split, thereby creating a parallel quantum universe distinct from the current one, and if this phenomenon exists, the number of universes could be extraordinarily large.
Some scientists believe that quantum entanglement may be a key mechanism in the emergence of consciousness. They theorize that there are many extremely small channels in the human brain, such as microtubules, neurons, synapses, etc. The particles within these tiny tubes can become entangled under certain conditions, forming a massive quantum system in the brain. When we think or feel, we observe this quantum system, causing it to collapse into a certain state and create subjective experiences. In other words, consciousness is a quantum phenomenon generated by the interaction of countless entangled particles. This theory is known as quantum consciousness theory, which attempts to use quantum mechanics to explain the nature and mechanisms of consciousness. (Image: Zhihu)
In fact, some scientists are studying the relationship between life, consciousness, and the universe. The biocentric theory proposed by American scientist Robert Lanza suggests that it is not the universe that creates life, but rather life that creates the universe. In this theory, the conscious activities of living organisms are the starting points of the universe, while objects like the brain or body are merely a “modem” receiving external signals and converting them into life experiences. In this case, even if the modem – the brain or body – disappears, consciousness continues to exist; after all, consciousness is immortal.
The human brain is a complex multi-scale structure, where molecules, cells, and neurons coexist. It can be modeled as a multilayer network, known as the brain connectome. Nearby neurons are connected to form local structures, and different local structures connect to perform cognitive functions. (Image: Zhihu).
Although the emergence and ultimate outcomes of consciousness remain a mystery to us today, if research in quantum mechanics can achieve breakthroughs in the future, it may completely blur the boundaries between life and death.
