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Originally Posted by Kepler
Interesting, thanks for the link! Where does quantum mechanics fit into this "evolution of consciousness" picture?
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I can have a stab at explaining the relevance of Stapp's theory to evolution, although there is a lot crammed into his rather small book.
Stapp doesn't believe in p-zombies. He thinks a non-conscious animal could not function as an animal at all, let alone behave identically to a conscious animal. His book is an attempt to defend what he considers to be the original "standard" interpretation of QM.
You need to understand the Quantum Zeno Effect:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Zeno_effect
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Significance to cognitive science
The quantum Zeno effect (with its own controversies related to the problem of measurement) is becoming a central concept in the exploration of controversial theories of quantum mind consciousness within the discipline of cognitive science. In his book Mindful Universe (2007), Henry Stapp claims that the mind holds the brain in a superposition of states using the quantum Zeno effect. He advances that this phenomenon is the principal method by which the conscious can effect change, a possible solution to the mind-body dichotomy. Stapp and co-workers do not claim finality of their theory, but only:[36]
The new framework, unlike its classic-physics-based predecessor, is erected directly upon, and is compatible with, the prevailing principles of physics.
Needless to say, such conjectures have their opponents, serving perhaps to create more furor, rather than less, for example, see Bourget.[37] A summary of the situation is provided by Davies:[38]
There have been many claims that quantum mechanics plays a key role in the origin and/or operation of biological organisms, beyond merely providing the basis for the shapes and sizes of biological molecules and their chemical affinities.…The case for quantum biology remains one of “not proven.” There are many suggestive experiments and lines of argument indicating that some biological functions operate close to, or within, the quantum regime, but as yet no clear-cut example has been presented of non-trivial quantum effects at work in a key biological process.
While this last objection may no longer be valid,[39] the significance of the Zeno effect in determining the rate of quantum decoherence in biological systems remains unknown.
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According to Stapp's theory, primitive neural systems took advantage of the QZE in order to improve the speed or accuracy of their decision-making systems.
A taste of the theory:
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Originally Posted by Stapp
I call by the name "template for action" a macroscopic brain state that will, if held in place for an extended period, tend to produce some particular action. Trial and error learning, extended over the evolutionary development of the species and over the life of the individual agent, should have the effect of bringing into the agent'#s repertoire of intentional process 1 actions the "Yes-No" partitions such that the "Yes" response will, if held in place for an extended period, tend to generate an associated recognisable feedback corresponding to the successful achievement of the intent. Successful living demands the generation through effort-based learning of templates for action.
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In other words, there is a learning process which involves the whole system of observer and brain state "learning" how to "choose" between different macroscopic brains states. This is the equivalent of the "will" learning how to use the brain as a sort of "quantum computer."
Another way to explain it: the brain is sometimes in an indeterminate quantum state (like the dead-AND-alive cat, but this is a brain-state-yes-action-AND-brain-state-no-action state). It is the observer which then determines (once the system has learned how to allow this to happen) whether the action takes place or does not.
That's a very vague and brief summary I know. In terms of evolution it just means that some very primitive animal ended up with a neural system which allowed the quantum zeno effect to take place in its brain, and it was at this point that
(a) it stopped being a zombie and started being conscious
(b) it was capable of making decisions in a new and more efficient way, by taking advantage of the laws of quantum mechanics, just as quantum computers are theoretically more efficient than normal computers.
If this theory is correct then the Catholic church has to back down on the last bit of evolution it is still claiming God was responsible for. The current official Catholic position is that evolution was naturalistic apart from God intervening to give humans souls. This theory suggests that all animals have "souls", and the only thing that makes humans special is that we've also got very large brains (also provided by evolution). Having a "soul" means all animals are conscious, but without a large brain and the capacity for language, they can't have knowledge of good and evil. Animals have "will" but are only capable of using it to do what nature programmed them to do. Because humans also have large brains we are presented not only with survival choices but ethical/spiritual choices too.
I hope that is a good enough explanation to at least allow the discussion to go forward. It is not easy to summarise Stapp's theory in one post.