Time and the Mind/Body Problem: A Quantum Perspective

Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 19:44:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jean Schneider <Jean.Schneider@obspm.fr>
To: quantum-d@teleport.com
Subject: Time and the Mind/Body Problem: A Quantum Perspective

Time and the Mind/Body Problem: A Quantum Perspective.
 by J. Schneider (CNRS- Observatoire de Paris)

 Invited conference at the `Psycho- analysis and Physics'
 Meeting, New York, December 1996. In press in American Imago.

 Abstract:
 The Semiotic Interpretation (SI) of QM pushes further the Von Neumann
point of view that `experience only makes statements of this type: an 
observer has made a certain observation; and never any like this: a 
physical quantity has a certain value.'
 The supposition that the observables of a system `possess' objective
values is purely idealistic. According to the SI view, the state-vector 
collapse cannot result from the Schroedinger evolution of a system 
(even with its environment), but only from the empirical production of 
a mathematical symbol, irreducible to the quantum level. The production 
of a symbol always takes some time. Thus the state-vector collapse 
cannot be instantaneous (Schneider 1994), a specific prediction of 
the present model.
 From this interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, the appearances of the
body are the result of state-vector collapses of several types, i.e. 
the production of different kinds of symbols. In fact the universe of 
symbols is very rich: a symbol can have a conceptual `value' (like in 
physics and then give rise to a measurement), or other qualitative 
values (like in many human behaviors). In the latter case, the Semiotic 
Interpretation of QM gives a way to understand how a mental 
representation can modify the state of the body.

The complete text can be found at
http://xxx.lpthe.jussieu.fr/abs/quant-ph/9707056

J. Schneider
http://www.obspm.fr/departement/darc/schneider/qm.html