Quantum Cognition

Dear Friends

Is there a deep and mysterious relationship between Quantum Mechanics, Human Biology and Cognition? Quantum Cognition is an emerging field of Scientific Research that applies ideas from Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computing to develop radically new models for a variety of cognitive phenomena including:

1. Human memory;
2. Information retrieval;
3. Human language;
4. Decision making;
5. Social interaction;
6. Personality psychology;
7. Philosophy of mind; and
8. Atemporal reality of our eternal Self-hood.

Cognition research has shown that words are stored in our memories not as isolated entities but as part of a network of related words. This explains why seeing or hearing a word activates words related to it through prior experiences. In trying to understand these connections, scientists visualise a map of links among words called the mental lexicon that shows how words in a vocabulary are interconnected through other words. However, it’s not yet clear just how this word association networks work. For instance, does word association spread like a wave through a fixed network, weakening with conceptual distance, as suggested by the “Spreading Activation” model? Or does a word activate every other associated word simultaneously, as suggested in a model called “Spooky Activation at a Distance”?

Although these two explanations appear to be mutually exclusive, a recent study reveals a connection between the explanations by making one novel assumption: that words can become Quantum Entangled in the human mental lexicon. In the study, researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia and the University of South Florida in the US have investigated the quantum nature of word associations and presented a simplified Quantum Cognition model of a mental lexicon. This follows in the footsteps of the pioneering thinking of Prof Roger Penrose. In his book, "Shadows of the Mind," Penrose expounds upon his previous assertions that human consciousness is non-algorithmic, and thus is not capable of being modelled by a conventional Turing machine-type of Linear or Boolean Logic digital computer. As a result, Quantum Cognition is increasingly simple to appreciate and rather less mysterious at an intuitive level. Simply put, it has to do with determining the assumed algebraic structure of the inner world of ideas, concepts, and propositions.

1. Boole and other great logicians of the 19th century assumed that thinking is like doing regular algebra in following strict rules exhibiting associative, distributive and commutative properties. These are the same rules we can observe when we consider the construction of sets by using union, intersection and complementation (Boolean algebra based on Linear Logic);

2. Modern cognitive psychology has challenged the Boolean or Linear Logic view: natural concepts are based on prototypes. As such, natural concepts are geometrical concepts that best can be represented by convex sets (Gärdenfors). The algebra underlying the operation with convex sets is different from the traditional Boolean algebra. Surprisingly, it comes remarkably close to the Ortho-algebra underlying Quantum Mechanics; and

3. Based on work of the great Hungarian mathematician and philosopher John von Neumann it has become clear that at the heart of Quantum Mechanics is a new kind of probability theory based on ortho-algebras rather than Boolean algebras. This theory is more holistic in its embrace than the traditional (Boolean-based) probability theory. Interestingly, this new approach seems to be powerful enough to solve some hard puzzles known from standard approaches in the domains of rationality, logical thinking, and probabilistic reasoning. This opens new horizons for cognitive modelling and their rational foundation.

We are the early stages of understanding Quantum Cognition. In the fullness of time, it is possible that we may fathom Quantum Cognition more holistically as the quality of information processing that encompasses and extends beyond material, ie, sensory based data collection modalities, to include more subtle avenues of awareness, where a direct experience of the nature of the perceiver can be felt and understood in its totality. This direct experience is verified by the perceiver, according to his or her own reality strategy, while also transcending the linear syntax of thought patterns familiar to the intellect. This quality of perception, being uninhibited by Linear or Boolean logic, unhinges consciousness from the boundary conditions of the ego thought system — which is rooted in the time and space continuum — allowing access to the atemporal reality of our eternal Self-hood!

The 102nd image added to the "E8 Album" within the HQR initiative is of Quantum Cognition! Visit here to view the image and to contribute to the Socratic dialogue: http://ow.ly/q3eF The "E8 Album" photos at http://ow.ly/kGJj are visual intersections of Spirituality, Science, Art and Sustainability! Feel free to share them on your FB page by clicking share or you can tag yourself!

The Holistic Quantum Relativity (HQR) Group is on FB http://ow.ly/k5Q1 and on the internet http://ow.ly/7wb6

[ENDS]

We welcome your thoughts, observations and views. To reflect further on this, please respond within Twitter, Linked and Facebook’s ATCA Open and related discussion platform of HQR.

All the best

DK Matai

Chairman and Founder: mi2g.net, ATCA, The Philanthropia, HQR, @G140

To connect directly with:

. DK Matai: http://twitter.com/DKMatai

. Open HQR: http://twitter.com/OpenHQR

. ATCA Open: http://twitter.com/ATCAOpen

. @G140: http://twitter.com/G140

. mi2g: http://twitter.com/intunit

– ATCA, The Philanthropia, mi2g, HQR, @G140 –

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The original ATCA — Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance — is a philanthropic expert initiative founded in 2001 to resolve complex global challenges through collective Socratic dialogue and joint executive action to build a wisdom based global economy. Adhering to the doctrine of non-violence, ATCA addresses asymmetric threats and social opportunities arising from climate chaos and the environment; radical poverty and microfinance; geo-politics and energy; organised crime & extremism; advanced technologies — bio, info, nano, robo & AI; demographic skews and resource shortages; pandemics; financial systems and systemic risk; as well as transhumanism and ethics. Present membership of the original ATCA network is by invitation only and has over 5,000 distinguished members from over 120 countries: including 1,000 Parliamentarians; 1,500 Chairmen and CEOs of corporations; 1,000 Heads of NGOs; 750 Directors at Academic Centres of Excellence; 500 Inventors and Original thinkers; as well as 250 Editors-in-Chief of major media.

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