Anyone interested in the nature of reality is going to eventually come across two broad subjects. Quantum theory, as it is supposed to explain the very what of the world, and philosophy of mind because consciousness (whatever it may be) and its modes and structures are how we know of that very world. It may be taboo to say but the fact that the two exist means they must relate. So, exactly how and in what way?
Quantum theory is physics’ most profound and experimentally verified theory and should be able to tell us much about the nature of the world but as it currently stands, it makes no clear commitment to any ontology whatsoever. That is, it doesn’t actually tell us what the world is, but it does give us some clues as to its essential nature.
I don’t want to solve or even talk about equations. I’m not interested in what the predict but am instead interested in what they’re about, what is it that they are describing? By this, I am not interested in doing physics but am instead interested in the subject’s foundations — in the philosophy of physics. It is here that we must look at what the theory is trying to tell and think critically about its commitments. By so doing we arrive at the theory’s many interpretations. (Many-Worlds, Copenhagen, Qbism, Collapse models, etc.)
How are we to know which one is correct? Well, let’s use Occam’s razor coupled to an intuition that knows mind and matter are formed of the self-same Substance. By doing this, we may stumble upon the appropriate interpretation of quantum theory and arrive at an understanding that leaves the door to ruminations on consciousness and mind open. One that also treats quantum theory as realistic in the philosophically naïve way. That is to say, the theory grants to us knowledge of the world as it exists apart from us, concept mongering creatures and it tells us about how the world is in itself, as it was, is, and would be, without us.
To get there will take some effort and a lot of consideration, but it begins with an understanding of quantum mechanics that takes fields as primary and seeks to explain the world by way of them. Revealing a world where particles don’t exist, don’t stand out from a void, but instead quanta of energy flow in an oceanic cosmos of various interconnected media and evolve only as waves do but nevertheless behave dynamically as unified objects.
As with anything quantum mechanical, to understand this interpretation will require a step into the counterintuitive. But any familiar with quantum physics won’t shy away from that fact. So, join me and let us begin, that is if you are someone who is…