Here I discuss some basic aspects of quantum mechanics that are not often explained and are often at the heart of common misconceptions about the role of consciousness in reality and the type of reality that is implied by quantum mechanics.

Observables and Reality

Photons only have a location in response to an observation that requires them to have a location. More generally, any system only has an observable state in response to an observation that requires it to have an observable state.

Prior to the observation it has no particular observable state; but rather a quantum superposition of all possible observable states (i.e. a wavefunction). A wavefunction is dynamic information which is inherently imperceptible. It is a probability distribution within a state space that encompasses all possible observable states (Hilbert space).

The observable forms via which we are used to thinking about systems are just appearances that are constructed in the moment of observation, i.e. they are the products of an observation event and are not representative of any kind of objective reality.

In a very real sense things are not what they appear to be. Whilst a photon only appears to be there when it is observed that is just an appearance. In fact it exists whether or not it is observed, but its mode of existence is as an imperceptible information process that is not defined by concepts such as space, time, frequency, but rather by concepts such as state space, probability and wavefunction. The state space spans all possible locations, times, frequencies, etc, but the system itself is more accurately described as a wavefunction within a Hilbert space.

Thinking about quantum systems in terms of observable forms in space and time is trying to squeeze them into a naïve realist / empiricist / materialist framework but this cannot be done without getting bogged down in paradox.

Quantum mechanics is not an empirical science - it is a rationalist science. Hence it is a real mind-bender because it goes way deeper than space or time or any other observables. These are all just appearances that only arise in response to observations. They are not what is actually there. What is actually there is a wavefunction.

Virtual Reality Analogy

To explain how this could be the case, consider the situation of a virtual being in a simulated reality. They are habituated to thinking about reality in terms of how it appears to them - i.e. as objects in space and time, with observable properties. They are not at all used to thinking about the computational level of their situation such as data structures (wavefunctions), state spaces (Hilbert spaces), program functions (e.g. unitary evolution or decoherence), etc.

Whilst empirical science deals with the familiar level of virtual appearances, quantum mechanics deals with the seemingly abstract computational level. Note, the virtual systems have a perspective embedded within the simulation, so the abstract virtual forms seem concrete whilst the concrete simulator seems abstract.

At the computational level systems are pure information that have no location within the virtual space-time and have no virtual form. They are just information flowing in a non-spatial, non-temporal, non-observable, non-virtual manner through the computational processes (simulator) which animate the virtual universe.

These information structures and processes are the real / objective nature of all virtual systems. The familiar empirical forms are just the appearance of the systems from a perspective embedded within the virtual universe.

The simulator uses an efficient algorithm in the sense that it only produces a virtual appearance for a system when another system observes it and thereby requires a form to be generated. Only then does the quantum superposition over all possible states collapse into a single state (decoherence). If there is no observation then no virtual form is required and the system stays as a quantum superposition.

Hence all systems are abstract information processes that only have a virtual appearance when they are observed by another virtual system. Any virtual system can cause decoherence and the generation of a virtual appearance, it doesn't have to be a virtual human.

Propagation of Decoherence

There is a subtle detail about the nature of quantum collapse that is often overlooked, thereby causing people to think that humans have a special role. A wavefunction collapse is not like a bridge collapse where it collapses for all observers.

Consider some binary systems A, B, C, D, etc. Let A be in a superposition of states A[0,1]. When B observes A the wavefunction of A collapses into a particular state A(0) OR A(1) in order to give B an observable form by which to experience A.

However the combined system BA (i.e. B observing A) is still in a superposition of states BA[00, 01, 10, 11] (where 00 means B was in state 0 and observed A to be in state 0, similarly for the other pairs of states). When C observes BA the wavefunction collapses into a particular state BA(00) OR BA(01) OR BA(10) OR BA(11) to give C an observable form to experience.

However the combined system CBA is still in a superposition that will collapse when D observes it. And so on... Thus the wavefunction collapse propagates through successive observation events.

Note, this description was of a linear chain in order to keep the explanation simple and not obscure the main point that was being made. However the real situation is that of a complex tangle of networks within networks where myriads of systems are observing each other. This includes complex multi-level feedback loops. However if you arbitrarily pick a starting point and follow a linear sequence of observations within this seething mass then you can isolate out a simple chain of observations.

Now let system H be a human being with a naïve realist / empiricist / materialist paradigm. When they experience the wavefunction collapse of the system GFEDCBA they assume that none of the other systems elicited a collapse and that it was only they the human who elicited a collapse. This is due to them overlooking the nature of wavefunction collapse combined with an anthropocentric, naïve realist and non-panpsychic paradigm.

This leads them to claim that only humans collapse wavefunctions when in fact every system along the chain of observation collapsed the preceding wavefunction.

Furthermore the system HGFEDCBA is itself in a superposition of the human being in different states and observing different appearances of GFEDCBA. However the human doesn't realise this and assumes that their experiences and their world is totally classical and non-quantum because that is how it seems to them. This confusion arises because they depend upon their perceptions and their conceptual frameworks derived from their perceptions in order to try to comprehend reality, hence due to this empiricism they are beguiled by the virtual appearances and find it difficult to comprehend the quantum information processes.

Paradigm Shift

Humans such as H generally assume that their perspective is "THE perspective" and that no other systems have a perspective (i.e. all other systems are assumed to be inanimate and somehow governed by laws although it is never explained how laws can govern inanimate systems). Hence they assume that human experience is the measure by which reality is to be defined (this is an empiricist prejudice that causes great confusion about quantum reality).

To overcome this confusion they need to undergo a radical paradigm shift and recognise that:

• appearances are just virtual appearances and do not represent anything objective. Seeing is NOT believing.

• the underlying reality is imperceptible, non-material, computational, proto-conscious, processual.

• reality doesn't consist of physical objects, these are just objects of perception that have been misunderstood due to naïve realism. Reality consists of information processes.

• every system is animate, in fact they are animated into virtual manifestation by the quantum computational processes.

• every system has a perspective from which it experiences its world according to its abilities. Simple systems have simple experiences, whilst complex systems such as ourselves have complex experiences.

• what we call 'physical' is actually 'virtual' and what we call 'spiritual' is actually 'computational' or 'proto-conscious'.

• we are virtual beings emergent within a virtual universe that is animated by an imperceptible, omnipotent, omnipresent, universal, timeless, proto-consciousness, quantum computational process.

• the inner most awareness within every virtual system is the universal proto-conscious animating process.

• all virtual systems are the computational process experienced from a virtual perspective. I.e. the virtual and computational contexts are not separate, they are just different ways of apprehending the same thing.

• every virtual system is composed of myriads of sub-systems and participates in the emergence of myriads of super-systems. All except for atomic (i.e. indivisible) systems that have no sub-systems and the whole universe which has no super-systems.

• humans are systems just like all other systems - there is nothing intrinsically different of privileged about our perspective. Although it is quite rare and special because we are extremely complex and highly evolved virtual systems with a subtle and deep capacity to experience, understand, enquire and know ourselves and our situation.

Thanks to David Russell for inspiring this comment.

Also related: Decoherence and the Quantum Sentience Paradox