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Who am I???
According to some, consciousness is identical with the core "I" of subjectivity, it is the observer and not the observed, it is that which is aware, but it is not the content of awareness, it is the one that feels emotions but it is neither the emotions or the feelings.
There is another view of consciousness that includes what has been said in the previous paragraph but goes further. Given the name "monistic idealism," it sees all consciousness as one, a universal consciousness that is the source, substance, and upholder of all that is4.
When delving into the 'consciousness' literature, we need to remember there are considerable divergences in the meaning of the word and that many tend to confuse the content of consciousness with consciousness itself.
Some quantum physicists perceive a "universal consciousness" as the explanation of many of the hard problems of quantum physics. Since this universal consciousness is primary and is the source of space, time, energy, matter, life, mind and whatever else there is, it must also exist beyond space and time. This kind of hypothesis can account for the problems posed by non-locality, superpositioning, and so forth, but also appears to be untestable.
The concept of universal consciousness would also account for the photon, electron, or atom that takes all possible paths to wherever it might be going. Presumably this consciousness is the upholder of the rules that prevent the human observer from knowing which path a particle takes if its wave-like properties are to be maintained.
Getting down to tin tacks
Is there any way that the idea of a universal consciousness can be demonstrated empirically? The abstract of a paper by Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose8 commences with:
"What is consciousness? Some philosophers have contended that 'qualia' or an experiential medium from which consciousness is derived exists as a fundamental component of reality. Whitehead, for example, described the universe as being comprised of 'occasions of experience.' To examine this possibility scientifically, the very nature of physical reality must be re-examined. We must come to terms with the physics of space time as described by Einstein's general relativity--and its relation to the fundamental theory of matter as described by quantum theory."
The authors go on to say that they consider that consciousness occurs if an appropriately organized system is able to develop and maintain quantum coherent superposition until a threshold related to quantum gravity is reached; the coherent system then self-reduces--a situation that introduces non-computability, an essential feature of consciousness.
The work of this group is much concerned with the kind of organization at the cellular level that could sustain a large, quantum coherent superposition. Their belief is that such a structure may be found among cytoskeletal microtubules that are found within the brain's neurons. It would have properties similar in some ways to those that support superconductivity or superfluidity.
Readers should be aware that the people interested in these phenomena are not fringe dwellers but are some of the leading lights of the academic world.
Another quantum physicist, Amit Goswami4 considers that there must be some kind of quantum coherent system within the brain of the kind described by Hameroff and Penrose that would interact with what he terms the "universal consciousness"--of which human consciousness is really a component part. The interaction of the two mediates the 'self-reduction of the coherent system' and thereby brings the system into a state of reality as can be described by classical physics. This 'self reduction' is a special case of what is more commonly described as the collapse of the Schrodinger wave function.
What's in TUB?
What has been described above is not too far from what can be discerned in The Urantia Book if we identify the 'Universal Consciousness' of quantum physics as being an aspect of the Infinite Spirit with similarities to cosmic mind.
The Urantia Book describes a hierarchical structure that has the Infinite Spirit at its apex. From there, 'cosmic mind' is routed to the seven Master Spirits who are at the focus of cosmic mind as it is distributed to the superuniverses.
Human mind is the endowment of the Universe Mother Spirit, both directly and via the seven Adjutant Mind Spirits. "Consciousness," the book tells us, "rests gently upon the electro-chemical mechanism below and delicately touches the spirit-morontia energy system above. Of neither of these two systems is the human being ever completely conscious in his mortal life; therefore must he work in mind of which he is conscious." (1216)
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