We’re willing to wager that you’re inclined to place a great deal of emphasis on experiences that you consider to provide tangible evidence. Take a walk along the beach, for example.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself beside the sea, you’ll listen to the crashing waves. You’ll watch the people, water-bound vehicles, and buoys, confirming your belief that the ocean becomes deeper the further afield you venture.
Even if you close your eyes and use headphones to block out sound, it’s easy to tell where you are. One deep lungful of air will fill your nostrils with the unmistakable scent of the sea.
In Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction, Dr. Danko Georgiev explains how your conscious experiences may, in fact, be a fundamental ingredient of physical reality and much more reliable than it is commonly believed. Many of us are laypeople when it comes to this subject.
It may even be fair to suggest our knowledge and exposure to quantum physics stems entirely from pop culture. Thankfully, with the aid of Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction, easy-to-digest information is now available at the tips of our fingers.
Utilizing case studies in his own research, Dr. Georgiev’s book explains the difference between typical brain processes and conscious experiences – and the role that quantum physics plays in this.
The tome helps see the human condition through an entirely new perspective and gain a hitherto-untapped understanding of the link between our mind, brain, and body.
It’s a must-read that will leave you questioning all you thought that you knew – and hungry to place this new information into practice.
I know nothing about physics
Then Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction is a book for you. Dr. Georgiev dedicates some 20% of his time to explaining necessary background information to those new to his world.
This does not mean that anybody with a working knowledge of the subject is not catered for. Once this basic understanding has been established, the remainder of the content doesn’t hold back on the weird and wonderful world opened up by quantum physics. All the same, there is no need to be intimidated if you’re a curious newcomer.
The clue is in the name – A Gentle Introduction. Ultimately, Dr. Georgiev is a successful scientist. He does not hold back on information throughout the book, and at no point does he insult the reader’s intelligence.
What sets this book apart, however, is the effort Dr. Georgiev takes to bring new readers into his world.
There is no intellectual snobbery or scientific gatekeeping at play here. If you’re interested in quantum physics, you will find plenty to learn and enjoy.
Throughout his introductory chapters, Dr. Georgiev discusses the difference between the human brain and mind, and how these variances pertain to consciousness and experience.
In a nutshell, this could be described as the difference between hard science and philosophy. Alternatively, in the words of the good doctor himself, the difference between science and science theory.
You’ll find as many references to Aristotle in the pages of this book as you will Richard Feynman or Erwin Schrödinger. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to learn. The rest will take care of itself.
What will I actually learn from this book?
Several core subjects are covered in Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction, all of which share one common aim.
To broaden the general understanding of quantum physics, and to aid us in understanding the role of the quantum realm in making sense of the world around us.
Let’s return to our beachside example for a moment. If were to follow the understanding of classical physics, neuroscientists would lead us to the unpalatable conclusion that your conscious mind is playing tricks on you.
While you may think that your mind will never steer you wrong in describing sensations and experiences, it’s not always to be trusted. For example, it may be intuitively obvious that our conscious experiences can affect the physical world through our actions, or that we can exercise our free will by making active choices.
This is referred to as classical determinism and implies that we are puppets of a string. Classical determinism makes us believe that we are suffering from illusions of intuition, through which we conveniently cover our lack of free will and inability to make a difference in a clockwork universe.
Fortunately for us, a quantum revolution that originated in the 1920s shattered the foundations of classical physics and its associated paradoxes. Modern quantum physics has established, through numerous experiments, that we live in a quantum universe full of dynamic possibilities.
Dr. Georgiev’s book explains that what we write off as emotion and memory may actually be connected to something broader. Through our senses, we perceive the surrounding world and react to it.
Our actions are not predetermined with absolute certainty, though. Our conscious experiences, modeled by quantum information-theoretic states in the brain, determine the physical probabilities for possible future courses of action through the celebrated Schrödinger equation.
Once measured, the inherent free will manifested by quantum systems allows us to choose a single actual course of action. This is then transmitted from our brain to the muscles in our body, and the surrounding world.
Ultimately, physics governs everything around us. Every action, every memory, and every sensation. The upshot is that we are not just passive spectators, but play an active role in choosing our own destiny to the extent of what is physically possible. To coin a famous phrase, we have no strings to hold us down. Not physically, at least.
The pages of Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction is devoted to helping a layperson understand this, and apply the teachings to their own life.
Who is Dr. Danko Georgiev?
Dr. Danko Georgiev is an established neuroscientist, working at the Institute for Advanced Study in Varna, Bulgaria. Dr. Georgiev has published a wide range of papers based on his work and experiments, many of which have been cited by academic peers.
With a particular interest in the realm of quantum physics, Dr. Georgiev has earned a reputation as one of the great thinkers in European science.
The Institute for Advanced Study is one of the most reputable centers of quantum physics research in the world, with ongoing studies continuing to evolve and yield results.
Just some of the subjects being explored include the relationship between consciousness, experience, and the human brain, and the impact that quantum physics can place on human endeavor and achievement.
Dr. Georgiev is interested in unlocking the secrets of the human condition through the use of quantum physics. Mathematics, philosophy, and mechanics are also incorporated into this work.
If you think that this all sounds terribly complicated and difficult to understand, you’d be correct. That’s why Dr. Georgiev and his colleagues work so tirelessly in this field – so that we do not have to.
Thankfully, Dr. Georgiev also found the time in his schedule to put pen to paper and write Quantum Information and Consciousness: A Gentle Introduction. The publication of this book ensures that those of us without a Ph.D. education can learn about this subject – without alienating anybody with a core understanding of the matter at hand.
You can read more of Dr. Georgiev’s work, alongside that of his peers, in Quanta.
This open-access journal is a veritable treasure trove of data and information about all things quantum physics. The more time you spend in Dr. Georgiev’s world, the more you will be keen to learn about the unseen universe around us.
Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of The Sized delivered to your inbox daily.
