Towards a Quantum Field Theory of Mind

17 Pages·2011·0.54 MB·English

NeuroQuantology | September 2011 | Vol 9 | Issue 3 | Page 442‐458  442
Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
  Article

Towards a Quantum Field Theory of Mind  
Fred Alan Wolf 
Abstract 
I provide an historical account of my contributions to a theory of mind based on 
quantum physical consideration. In brief, mind appears to be a tachyonic (faster‐
than‐light) and therefore atemporal field embedded throughout spacetime, which 
came into existence along with matter starting with the big bang and continuing to 
present day, in what makes up the sought‐for Higgs field in particle physics colliders 
today. Consequently, I offer my speculations, based in quantum physics, on what we 
may call acausality and its intimate link to mind. 

Key Words: Quantum physics, mind‐field, consciousness acts, acausality, time order 
NeuroQuantology 2011; 3: 442‐458 

Introduction1 what Jung may have deemed the “collective
Quantum physics provided a new paradigm consciousness.”
that told us how mind and matter are
The best way I can describe this new
correlated. It indicates that mind or
paradigm is to speak of it in terms of what
consciousness plays a major role in the
our own consciousness does during an
construction of reality because in it we have
observation. With the discoveries of
this facet of life that says, “Observation of
quantum physics, we began to see this new
objects in reality affects their reality.” In
role for consciousness—something that we
other words, it isn’t just a question of
know happens, but remained inexplicable
consciousness arising from particles banging
until we began to realize that what we were
into each other in your brain—which is the
talking about was the action of
way many scientists tend to look at it—but
consciousness. So what I did in my earlier
it’s more that what we imagine to be particles
work (Wolf, 1984; 1986a; 1986b; 1989;
banging into each other is what gives rise to
2004) was discover something I call a
waves of possibilities. These waves indicate
fundamental act of consciousness. I call it a
where and when these particles will appear,
FAC—please forgive the pun.
if at all and that the particles don’t actually
What is a FAC? It’s an action in which
come into existence until a conscious
something is perceived. Now, in ordinary
observation occurs. Somehow, when you
physics, or in ordinary physiology, or in most
consciously observe something, a possibility
of the classical realms of science, perception
becomes real and “out there.” And the
is something which is taken to be within the
evidence seems to be pointing to the
realm of physicality. In other words, if you
conclusion that there is only one true
visually perceive something (or use any other
observer, one mind in this whole universe—a
physical sense perception), you know that
Mind of God, so to speak—for which each
you see something and accordingly, e.g.,
sentient life form plays a role making up
light will strike your retina, you’ll get an idea,
something will pop off in your brain, and all
   Corresponding author:  Fred Alan Wolf  this takes place rather mechanically in a
   Address: Fred Alan Wolf is the founder of Have Brains / Will Travel:  logical cause and effect order. We never get
a Global Quantum Physics Educational Company, San Francisco CA, 
the notion that somehow the act of seeing
USA. 
something was affecting what was being seen
   e‐mail: [email protected] 

Received June 30, 2011. Revised June 30, 2011.  Sept 3, 2011.
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
either in memory or what was being looked system in all acts of sensory awareness in
at. But in quantum physics we’ve learned which we are usually unaware.
that when you’re looking at very small
Quantum systems in the time interval
objects, subatomic particles for example, the
between two events, so called two time
very action of looking at them disturbs them
observables (TTO), are known to behave in a
to such an extent that we never really get a
manner quite differently from expectations
complete picture as to what they actually are.
based on initial value quantum mechanics
Now, this has led me to think that a field of
(Aharonov and Vaidman, 1990). According
consciousness may be at the core of this
to the transactional interpretation (TI) of
problem. This field may explain how
quantum physics (Cramer, 1986), wave
perception affects and changes reality, and
functions can be pictured as offer and echo
that maybe what we’re doing when we’re
waves, the offer wave passing from an initial
thinking or feeling or sensing or even
event pFAC to a future event fFAC and the
listening to a conversation, is creating a FAC.
echo wave, the mathematically complex-
This creation suddenly alters the physical
conjugate of the offer wave, passing back in
reality of both the human body and the
time from fFAC toward pFAC. The TTO and
object perceived in much the same manner
TI have been used to explain certain
as quantum physics indicates a particle
quantum physical temporal anomalies, such
suddenly arises in the quantum field that
as non-locality, contra-factuality, and future-
harbors it. Furthermore, a careful look at a
to-present causation as explicitly shown in
FAC naturally brings into question the
Wheeler’s delayed choice experiment
nature of time and mind: how events may
(Wheeler, 1978)—an experiment wherein the
affect each other in a time-reversed order in
history of the objects under scrutiny is not
much the same manner that quantum field
determined and is subject to change until the
theory indicates a similar reversal of time
final observation. Experimental evidence
order.
involving neurological functioning and
Most today believe in one-way subjective awareness may be indicating the
causality—the past influences the present presence of the same anomalies.
through the medium of an interaction that
To investigate these anomalies, I
begins in the past and concludes in the
proposed (Wolf, 1998) a FAC model based
future—what we call cause and effect. We
on TTO and the TI wherein two neural
have this idea from Newtonian mechanics.
events are ultimately responsible for
However, if we bring mind into mechanics—
backwards-through-time wave function
as we seemingly must through quantum
collapse in the intervening spacetime
physics—we find a new idea emerging: the
interval. In brief we need two events to make
future influences the present. Is such an idea
a FAC. After providing a simple argument
just an idea that comes about through
showing how quantum physics applies to
parapsychology or through mystical insight?
neurological functioning and a simple
A FAC says no, it says that there is a real
demonstration of how the TI and TTO
mathematical basis showing that a future
explain the delayed choice paradox, I showed
FAC (fFAC) can have an effect on the
how such pairs of causality-violating events
probability patterns that exist in the present
must occur in the brain in order that a single
and thereby create a new present FAC
experience in consciousness take place in the
(pFAC). In other words, what takes places
observer. Using this proposition I offered a
now, what choices are being made right now,
quantum physical resolution—similar to that
may not be as free as you think they are. If
of the delayed choice experiment—of the
you realized that a fFAC is having an effect
“delay-and-antedating” hypothesis/paradox
on you now, then the reason for your present
put forward by Libet et al. (Libet et al., 1979)
choices may not be as obvious. Quantum
to explain certain temporal anomalies
physics may be telling us that the usual
associated with a delay time, D, required for
pFAC → fFAC notion is incomplete and
passive perception experienced by
certain experiments in neurophysiology may
experimental subjects including the blocking
be indicating time reversal, fFAC → pFAC,
of sensory awareness normally experienced
occurs in the human brain and nervous
at time t by a cortical signal at later time
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
t+k•D, (0<k<1) and the reversal in time of strands of molecular DNA, the quantum
the sensory awareness of the events wave functions also take on a similar pattern.
corresponding to cortical and peripheral This pattern constitutes a continual kind of
stimuli. My model may be a first step observation in which the quantum wave
towards the development of a quantum function, in a sense, is observing itself over
physical theory of subjective awareness and and over again. Quantum waves and
suggests that biological systems evolve and quantum wave functions can be imagined as
continue to function in accordance with TTO constrained by such a pattern, which, in fact,
and consequently a causality-violating, two- gives the structure its stability—in brief,
valued, TI of quantum mechanics. The model what you see is what you get.
successfully predicted and explained Libet’s
(2) Experimental evidence—since
temporal anomalies and made a new
there are actually two quantum wave
prediction about the timings of passive
functions involved in a quantum wave
bodily sensory experiences and imagined or
function transaction, u* traveling backward
phantom sensory experiences. The
through time may be able to be detected in a
predictions of the model compared well with
physical experiment involving our brains and
experimental data.
nervous systems.

(3) Enhancement—because of the
Brief Earlier History
repetition of the DNA structure, the
To see how I came to this TTO-TI conclusion,
likelihood of a repeating u*u pattern is
perhaps a look at my earlier work is in order.
highly enhanced, whenever the u* involved
In 1983, in preparing my book Star*Wave
propagates from a near future to the present.
(Wolf, 1984) for publication, I had read John
The signal from the near future is more or
Cramer’s interesting paper (Cramer, 1980)
less the same as that from the past, and the
on the subject of a backwards-through-time
pattern, consequently, tends toward stability.
quantum wave function2, u*, acting as a
The more stable the pattern, the less likely
modulation of the normal forward-through-
that the distant future will disturb it.
time quantum wave function, u, in standard

nonrelativistic quantum physics. Cramer’s
From Then to Now: Mind—an Acausal
account was a new way to interpret quantum
Field
physics and gave a plausible reason for
I shall go over these three ideas and
calculating probabilities from the
summarize the results of my published
multiplication of u by u*, a fact that
investigations, (Wolf, 1984; 1986b; 1989;
previously had no explanation. In Cramer’s
1998; 2010). They show that acausality and
account the forward-through-time u was
mind are related and how mind can be
considered as an offer wave initiating at a
accounted for in quantum physical terms.
point i where an event had occurred. The

backwards-through-time u* was likewise an
Idea 1
echo wave initiated by a final event f
Even though Cramer’s account gave the
traveling backwards-through-time to the
correct mathematical calculation of the
offer event and thus completing a cycle.
probability in quantum physics describing
It seemed to me that one should
the probable causal connection between an
know what takes place if both the initial and
initial event, i, and a final event, f, it in no
final events are determined. This led me to
way described how a particular and
further investigate the connection between
ultimately experienced sequence i to f was
human consciousness and quantum physical
made into an actual pairing of two real
probabilities. There were essentially three
events. If, for example, there were two
ideas I investigated:
possible final events f and f one would have
1 2
(1) Self-observation—whenever atoms both probabilities i to f and i to f to take
1 2
are arranged in a highly repetitive pattern, into account without actually knowing which
such as those found in crystals or in the long final event f or f actually occurred.
1 2
It seemed to me at the time that one

should know what takes place if both the
2 u* stands for the complex conjugate of u.  If u is a plane wave, 
initial and final events are determined. This
exp(ipx‐iEt) then u* is exp(‐ipx+iEt). 
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led me to further investigate the connection hydrogen atom is quite different in detail
between human consciousness and quantum from the quantum wave function of a carbon
physical probabilities. atom. When, for example, a sugar-phosphate
molecule repeats itself as an endless chain of
Consequently when I finished writing
snakelike strands, winding around each
Star*Wave I had included a discussion of
other much like a spiral staircase, an infinite
Cramer’s transactional interpretation (TI)
hall-of-mirrors effect manifests itself,
as outlined in his paper as a possible
allowing the living, conscious molecule to
mechanism for the way the mind works in
appear. I am describing, of course, the
relation to the brain.
molecule of genetic life, deoxyribonucleic
A few years later I published The
acid, or DNA.
Body Quantum (Wolf, 1986b). In chapter 25

I once again looked into the TI. Then I
Idea 2
described that whenever atoms are arranged
The second idea is even stranger and more
in a highly repetitive pattern, such as those
speculative. Since there are actually two
found in crystals or in the long strands of
quantum wave functions involved in a
molecular DNA, the quantum wave functions
quantum wave function pop, with the star
also take on a similar pattern. Changes in
quantum wave function, u*, or star wave
those patterns of the quantum wave
(Wolf, 1984) orientated backward in space-
function, in my view, could take place
time, my speculation that u* comes from the
through the making of a FAC. Consequently
future, traveling backward through time,
when an observations occurs, the quantum
may be able to be justified by a physical
wave function “pops,” and a pointlike atom,
experiment involving our brains and nervous
or part of an atom, is manifested for an
systems.
instant. When no observation takes place,
the quantum wave function “hangs around,” I believed this idea was important
like a ghost, in the same locale in which it because it could explain how the evolution of
first popped. This sequence is highly anything can take place—one needs both a
reinforced by the repeating structure. flow of quantum wave function information
Habitual observation eventually becomes so from the past and the future to the present.
reinforced that it becomes unconscious. My idea was similar to those that Sir Fred
Hoyle discussed in his book The Intelligent
To try to imagine this concept is
Universe (Hoyle, 1984). Merely left to the
difficult because there are many atoms
odds, it is extremely unlikely that anything
involved. The quantum wave functions, as I
as orderly as a human being would arise at
imagine them, are “resonating” with the
all simply from random processes. As I
structure of the molecules, so that each
explained in Chapter 11, of The Body
quantum wave function turns on and off with
Quantum (Wolf, 1986b) there needs to be
many oscillations. From the solid molecule’s
some form of intelligence involved. But the
point of view, this corresponds to its own
question is, how does that intelligence act?
self-observation.
Of course, I could just postulate that there is
This viewpoint can be contrasted with
a Supreme Intelligence and that this being
a single atom’s self-observation: It, too, can
can act in any way that it sees fit. As Niels
be thought of as being in a self-observation
Bohr once remarked to Albert Einstein, when
pattern, wherein its quantum wave function
he was trying to figure out how God did it,
turns on and off. But being an isolated atom
“Stop telling God what to do.”
means that the pattern will display a higher
I certainly don’t want to do that! But I
degree of randomness. At the atomic level,
do want to know how God does it. Yet, as a
this pattern appears as the atom itself,
physicist, I am somewhat constrained: I can’t
vanishing and reappearing in a sequence of
postulate just any idea, because a scientific
random points, blurring, more or less, into a
idea, in order to be considered valid, must fit
solid object.
with what we already know (or, at least,
Thus, each quantum wave function
“think” we know) and have a means by which
pattern is highly specific to the element it
it can be experimentally falsified. As some
represents. A quantum wave function for the
quantum physics experiments confirm
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
(Wheeler, 1978), the idea that u* comes from crystalline repetition of the DNA strands,
the future may just save the day, however. twisting in space and dancing in time as
As Hoyle put it (Hoyle, 1984): vibrations with the almost though not quite
random patterns of A, C, G, and T bases, that
If events could operate not only from
past to future, but also from future to produces stable animal and, yes, a kind of
past, the seemingly intractable problem plant consciousness. Consciousness, as we
of quantum uncertainty could be solved. commonly and humanly experience it,
Instead of living matter becoming more thereby emerges as a consequence of the
and more disorganized, it could react to quantum wave function’s vibrational
quantum signals from the future—the
patterns associated with DNA; vibrational
information necessary for the
patterns repeating and resonating with both
development of life. Instead of the
the future and the past.
Universe committed to increasing
disorder and decay, the opposite could Molecules of DNA within shouting
then be true (pg. 213). distance of each other also vibrate, sending
In a highly organized material quantum semaphore messages back and
containing repeating patterns, the u*u forth, and in this manner a resonance arises
content becomes highly repetitive, producing between neighboring molecules. This
a probability pattern of reinforced strength. resonance is much like any other resonance
Thus, crystals of repeating materials, such as phenomenon, such as a building’s vibrations
sodium chloride, carbon lattices (such as in the wind or the rolling of a ship on the
diamond), and other single crystals of metals high seas. With energy being fed from one
and metals in combinations with other molecule to the other at just the right
substances, possess great strength or other frequency to induce the other molecule to
unusual properties. respond, the two resonate together. It is this
resonance of waves in different cells that
In DNA we have a similar
could result in the healing of the cells.
phenomenon of great repetition, with
complex patterns of sugar-phosphate Illness could result from an opposite
backbones interrupted by the much longer, effect. When molecules are off-resonance,
seemingly random steps of base pairs linked they fail to communicate with each other;
together in complementary codes. These such off-resonance could arise from atomic
bases, you’ll recall, include four types: A, C, changes in the molecules or from subtle
G, T. changes in the probability patterns of the
quantum wave functions, possibly brought

on by negative thinking. Influenced by such
Idea 3
thinking, perhaps molecules tend to isolate
Here my third idea surfaces: Because of the
themselves, forming self-contained units of
repetition of the DNA structure, the
limited capacity. Such molecular isolation
likelihood of a repeating u*u pattern is
can be understood in terms of our own
highly enhanced, with the u* involved
behavior when we feel depressed or unduly
propagating from a near future to the
anxious about something, and want to be
present. The signal from the near future is
alone in our misery.
more or less the same as that from the past,
and the pattern, consequently, tends toward Consequently, illness and possibly
stability. The more stable the pattern, the negative thinking could create molecular
less likely that the distant future will disturb islands of separation within our cells.
it. Again, the idea that there exists a Healing energy counters this separation
resonance between the quantum wave tendency by fostering correlations between
function and its structure—involving both molecules: One molecule “heals” another.
the past and the future—is at play here.
Signals from the distant future do arrive, Acausality and Mind
however; without them, DNA would never A few years later I looked once again at this
alter its patterns. But the more stable the issue of acausality in my paper published in
reinforcement brought on by the repetition the Journal of Theoretical Biology (Wolf,
of the strand, the smaller the disturbance 1989, pp 13-19) entitled “On the Quantum
produced. It is the interplay of the endless Physical Theory of Subjective Antedating.” In
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
this paper, based on the work of Benjamin the event as having occurred earlier.
Libet (Libet et al., 1979; Libet, 1985), who Whether or not this is an illusion is at
discovered temporal anomalies in people’s present not experimentally testable. In any
conscious awareness, I found that quantum case, one must wonder why subjects believe
physical probabilities could be related to that their knowledge or cognition of an event
these anomalies. In brief: a single conscious is a simultaneous occurrence with the event
instant—one that registers as an event in our if indeed the knowing and the stimulation
experience—requires both the occurrence of are time-like separated.
a past and a future event in the physical
I believed this backwards-in-time
brain.
projection between a neural event and a
Libet discovered that before a stimulus can be consistently accounted for
conscious experience could take place the using Cramer’s transactional interpretation
brain had to be sufficiently excited. He called (TI). In this case, the present event (the
this the achievement of neuronal adequacy. peripheral sensation), S, sends a forward-
Assuming that neuronal adequacy and through-time probability offer wave to a
experience were one and the same, Libet future event (neuronal adequacy), N. Most
(1985) pointed out the obvious discrepancy likely, N lies on the area of the cortex
between the time of the experience of an normally associated with the sensation. The
event—the subjective referral—and the time future event, N, sends a backwards-through-
of neuronal adequacy required to experience time probability echo wave to the present
the event. I suggested an alternative event, S.
proposal. Neuronal adequacy and subjective
According to the TI, the S to N offer
experience were not one and the same
wave stimulates the N to S echo wave. The N
events. Neither were peripheral stimulation
to S echo wave then carries a replica of the S
and subjective experience one and the same
to N offer wave back towards the original
events, even though they seemed to be. The
stimulation. The N to S echo wave arriving at
truth actually lies somewhere in-between.
the location of the source, S, multiplies or
Both the stimulation and neuronal adequacy
modulates the S to N offer wave and thus
(two events) are needed for the conscious
provides the probability for the correlation of
(one event) experience, even though the time
the events. If the two waves “resonate,”
of that experience is referred back to the
meaning that the probability for the S to N
peripheral sensation.
correlation is large, then a significant
The events in question (stimulation probability for the two events is achieved. In
and neuronal adequacy) are time-like this manner, that which is significantly
separated. This means that any signal measurable—has the largest probability—is
connecting the two events had to travel at also that which is brought to conscious
lightspeed or less. Thus, according to the awareness. In my view then, all possible
theory of relativity, there is no way that these future events are in contact with a present
two events could ever be simultaneously event, however, the most probable future
observable as was erroneously postulated by events are those that produce the largest
Snyder (Snyder, 1988). Hence his attempt to value of u*u, and consequently constitute an
resolve the paradox was not tenable. event in consciousness.
However, the fact that the observer of those
I offered the hypothesis that
events sees them as simultaneous means that
whenever two events are so correlated, i.e.,
his mind acts like a kind of “time machine.”
the probability for the events is not a priori
That is, the experience of the event is
zero, they will be experienced as one and the
“projected” back in time towards the
same event. I suggested that this means, in
occurrence of the sensation possibly via the
general, that any two quantum physically
u* →u idea.
correlated events separated in time or space
Libet had suggested that this may be will constitute a single experience.
an illusion, that the real “cognition” of the
Upon further thought I realized that
event only occurred later at the time of
although Cramer’s hypothesis took care of
neuronal adequacy and that the subject
providing a probability distribution
“subjectively” and mistakenly remembered
surrounding the offer event in spacetime, it
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
by itself still did not account for which final theory then it might... be... that... our
event corresponded to human experience. conclusions about causality, non-locality,
Years later in 1998 I looked further into the and contrafactuality are incorrect (pg.
442).
work of Libet and his co-workers (Wolf,
1988). Aharonov and his coworkers Penrose believed that there are
(Aharonov et al., 2007) had been working on reasons for being suspicious of our physical
a scheme to represent quantum physics in notions of time in relation to physics
terms of two-time quantum wave functions— whenever quantum non-locality and
one that not only specified the initial contrafactuality are involved.
condition of the quantum wave function but
I added that the same thing must be
also its final state as well. Consequently, I
said with regard to consciousness. He
based my new work on the work of Aharonov
suggests that if, in some manifestation of
and his co-workers.
consciousness, classical reasoning about the
Here I offered a quantum physical temporal ordering of events leads us to a
resolution similar to that of the Wheeler contradictory conclusion, then this is a
delayed choice experiment in quantum strong indication that quantum actions are
physics of the delay-and-antedating indeed at work!
hypothesis/paradox put forward by Libet et
In my 1998 paper I examined a
al. (1979) to explain the temporal anomalies
quantum theory of the relationship between
associated with passive perception. I
the awareness of timings of events and their
proposed a model, now enhanced by the
corresponding physical correlates and
work of Aharonov et al., (2007) wherein
showed that indeed not only are quantum
indeed two neural events cause backward-
actions at work, they are indispensable in
through-time and forward-through-time
explaining the temporal paradoxes inherent
neurological signaling in accordance with
in the phenomena.
wave function collapse in the intervening
I concluded that when it comes to
spacetime interval. Pairs of causality-
time in physics, we are somewhat at a loss.
violating events must occur in the brain in
All of our equations are unique in one very
order that a single experience in
real sense; there is no specific order to the
consciousness occurs. The model offered the
sequences of events we label as the passage
next step towards the development of a
of time. Both Newtonian physics and
quantum physical theory of subjective
quantum physics share this apparent fault in
awareness and suggests that biological
disagreement with our commonsense
systems evolve and continue to function in
experiences. We could just as well write
accordance with a causality-violating, two-
equations and set up appropriate spatial and
valued, transactional model of quantum
temporal boundary conditions of
mechanics. The model made a new
retrodiction in place of prediction and feel
prediction about the timing of passive bodily
equally satisfied that we had the correct
sensory experiences and imagined or
equations. Indeed, if we do simple enough
phantom sensory experiences. The
experiments we find that retrodicting is as
predictions of the model were compared with
good as predicting when it comes to
experimental data indicating agreement and
determining what shall be happening in the
new experiments are proposed testing the
next sequence of events either following or
model.
preceding.
In his book, Penrose (Penrose, 1989)
In life, with all of its complexity and
poses the paradox of the relationship of
its ultimate human measure, time marches
awareness and physical events that elicit it as
on. Fallen cracked eggs do not jump off the
follows,
floor into our outstretched hands. Dead
Is there really an “actual time” at which a
loved ones do not reconstitute themselves
conscious experience does take place,
and resurrect. We grow older each day not
where that particular “time of
younger. How are we to ever explain this
experience” must precede the time of any
scientifically and fundamentally? It would
effect of a “free-willed response” to that
seem that we are missing something
experience?... If consciousness... cannot
be understood... without...quantum essential when it comes to time.
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
Two bits of data we know. Conscious as I point out in this paper, the timing of an
experience of events and the second law of event is also only meaningful in reference to
thermodynamics. The first bit is subjective in another timing event. When the end points
its context while the second is purely or reference times for the events are not
objective. We certainly know that we can specified, then only the relative interval
think a thought, write a sentence, and find becomes relevant. When that interval lies
the words that are uniquely time ordered. within the limitation of quantum
We certainly know of the fact that hot bodies uncertainty, the event referred to within the
cool down and cold bodies warm up. Is there interval must also lie within that uncertainty.
some connection between these data bits? Failure to note this leads to apparent timing
paradoxes.
At this point in time we have no
theory that connects them. While much as The resolution of temporal paradoxes
been done in the objective arena to connect particularly as they show themselves in
thermodynamics and statistical mechanics to future quantum physical objective
quantum mechanics, even some remarkably experiments and in subjective timing
clever insights, we still do not have a experiments will continue to require a new
fundamental theory connecting them. vision of time.
In the world of subjective experience
very little has been done by physicists and A new hypothesis of mind and matter
for probably very good reason; no one knows Gaining new insight into how the universe
what to do, what to measure, or even if it is came into existence, and in particular how it
ethical to perform such measurements is that there is mind in it capable of knowing
(usually involving probing of the human that fact is not an easy task, no matter which
brain) even if we knew what we were looking way you try to do this. For most of my life,
for. Here Libet’s remarkable experiments ever since I was a college freshman (age 18),
need special mention. At least in them we I have been interested in such questions and
were provided with a clue concerning turned to physics, especially to study the
subjective time order. Perhaps there is behavior of light. I looked to physics to be
something fundamental in the notion that my guide to learning how the universe
our equations are not time order unique and works. Quantum physics and the many
the theory given here that according to masters of the subject I have been privileged
subjective experience we need two or more to study with have been great teachers. They
separate events to have a single perception. initiated many changes to my earliest
Perhaps this theory that a perceived event thinking, especially telling me that we really
requires information flowing from end don’t understand the universe without trying
points coming before it and after it, much to understand how mind enters into it.
like a stringed musical instrument requires Quantum physics tells us that mind must
information coming from its nodal end play a role (even though that role is far from
points to set up standing wave patterns of clear) and that in some deep way mind is
musical harmony is a fundamental intimately connected to time. During my
requirement for both time order uniqueness studies with David Bohm, he often brought
and subjective experience. this to my attention when I was a visiting
professor at Birkbeck College in London.
It would seem to me that now we
need to look toward altering our concept of There still remain some very
time in some manner, not that this is an easy interesting problems and worthwhile
thing to do. Perhaps we should begin with speculations to ponder over regarding how
the idea that a single event in time is really as mind enters into the universe. In the game of
meaningless as a single event in space or a quantum physics it plays a distinctive role: it
single velocity. Meaningful relation arises as acts as a cleaver seemingly making logical
a correspondence, a relationship with some choices of event sequences by deciding which
reference object. Hence an object’s velocity is events occur. From a sea of possibilities
meaningfully measurable with respect to something causes droplets to emerge and
another object’s velocity as the relative thus change into solid drops of actuality. We
velocity between them. In a similar manner need to construct models that may show us
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
how mind enters the physical realm of Higgs field is believed to fill the vacuum of
existence. I really believe that it is possible to spacetime and provide the necessary matrix
become better, more enlightened human of interactions that bring matter into
beings provided we have a deeper existence as particles of mass coming from
understanding of how mind and matter light (spin ½ luxons). It also may provide a
interplay. view of what we may call a logical universal
mind—a field of consciousness that
Today we are moving towards that
permeates the universe and uses the Higgs
goal; we have become immersed in what I
mechanism to generate thought as
call the quantum age—an era of technology
thoroughly as it generates matter with a
based upon our grasp of the mini-worlds of
unique direction and order of time.
nanotechnology. At present, atoms and
molecules are at our fingertips and to some The basic idea is that the Higgs field
degree under our control, and we are acts to make electrons zigzag though space at
embarking on the exploration of the lightspeed thereby giving them mass and
processes that occurred in the universe at its making them appear to move slower than
very birth when time, space, and matter first lightspeed. Here I speculate: I propose that
emerged. Just as basic quantum physics was the Higgs field also acts to zigzag electrons
important in the current thinking of today’s through time as well and in so doing acts
Western world, a new understanding of how faster than light speed. In this way it
these basic concepts—the cornerstones of accounts for the faster-than-light speed of
physics itself—really work, is vital for the quantum wave function collapse and
tomorrow’s whole planet. The future is now. thus acts like mind. In effect memory would
We need to grasp a new vision of the basic be contained within the field as a kind of
building blocks of the universe if we are to back reaction in the Higgs field.
survive. Our species survival may depend on

our understanding nature at her deepest
Spiritual hints: In the beginning there
level.
were two kinds of light
Those who realize the steadily According to the opening lines of the Bible,
growing view that the classical dividing line in the beginning, God created the universe.
between the observer and the object of his or We in modern science believe that this
her attention is blurry at best at our ordinary creation may indeed have occurred “in the
level of existence, are taking steps toward beginning” of everything, including all
this new understanding of nature. Such a matter and even the spacetime in which all of
division may possibly not even exist at the this came into being, not only making up a
deepest levels of reality. At the deepest level material universe but also setting it into
we know of, energy and time play a game of motion with energy and telling us how that
book-balancing of pluses and minuses. Light energy is to be put to use. Since we know
and matter act as game pieces zigzagging about this, or think we know about it all, or
through the universe in continual eternal at least are beginning to see clues about how
interaction with something called the Higgs it all began, it is of some interest to consider
field that changes light into matter3 (which is this big bang picture in both a physical and
currently the accepted view of quantum field spiritual light—something I have been prone
theorists) and possibly changes light into to do in my various musings and books.
mind.
Consider one of the Bible’s famous
What we finally come to understand passages—namely, the one in which God says
about the world is that it is not at all as it simply, “Let there be light, and there was
seems to common sense, with a clear light.” It is of interest to read this simple
division in spacetime between observers or declaration in the original Hebrew, where it
minds and the observed or particles. The reads (with translation): “Va-Yomer (and
spoke) Elohim (God), ‘Yehy (Let there be)

Aur (light) Ve-Yehy (and there is) Aur
3 I mean by “light” all massless particles that consequently move at 
(light)’.” In the ancient spiritual and
lightspeed. I call such particles “luxons.” Luxons includes massless 
mystical practice known as Qabala, one
spin ½ quarks and leptons as well as the spin 1 luxons we normally 
call “light.” The half‐spin luxons interact with the Higgs vacuum  learns that each letter of the Hebrew
field and acquire mass. 
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Wolf FA., Towards a quantum field theory of mind 
alphabet is actually a word and therefore handed as they zig and then to left-handed as
each letter has its own separate meaning. they zag through space, but always moving
unidirectionally forward in time. In this
Va-Yomer (and spoke, spelled Vav-
manner, these luxons, on average, appear to
Yod-Aleph-Mem-Raysh) means to make
slow down and can even appear at rest
spirit and memory real through the whole
(zigzagging back and forth, even at
universe. I think this really means the whole
lightspeed, means you go nowhere), thereby
universe, and so it may be the Higgs field
appearing with inertial rest masses, as
itself. Elohim (God, spelled Aleph-Lammed-
assuredly as a snowball picks up snow when
Hay-Yod-Mem) is a kind of equation that
it rolls down a snow-covered hill. The
means the spirit (Aleph) moves into the
snowball becomes more and more inert as it
universe potentially enabling life to exist and
gains mass.
at the same time to resist life through the
creation of memory. Yehy (Let there be, If on the other hand, these spin ½
spelled Yod-Hay-Yod), accordingly says, that luxons zigzag forward and backward in time
once started, the universe itself will continue as they move unidirectionally through space,
to generate life, enabling it to recur again they will move faster than light as tachyons
and again by bringing Aur (Light, Aleph- and thereby constitute the framework for
Vav-Raysh) into existence. Light is an action both annihilation and creation processes, as
of spirit propagating into spacetime: Ve- was so elegantly presented by Richard
Yehy (And there is, spelled Vav-Yod-Hay- Feynman. (Feynman and Weinberg, 1987) If
Yod) Aur (light, Aleph-Vav-Raysh). you have a tachyon moving between two
events, say, A and B, its temporal sequence
The key here is the fact that light
and consequent appearance will depend on
(aur) is mentioned twice in the same
the point of view of the observer of two
sentence, which according to qabalists such
events. One such observer may see A occur
as Carlo Suarès (Suarès, 1970), indicates that
before B while the 2nd may see B occur before
there must be two forms of light in order for
A. Faster-than-light sequences do not have
the universe to come into being, and that
unique time orders.
matter acts in resistance to the effect of the
Higgs field by becoming inert. In a similar For example, two events in our
manner mind or memory acts in resistance universe that one observer observes
to the Higgs field. Thus thought acts as an simultaneously will be seen to happen in a
inertia to action. particular order, say A following B, by
another observer moving to the left of the 1st
Now when we look into quantum
observer. But accordingly, someone who is
field theory we find that matter/energy is
moving to the right of the 1st observer would
indeed made of two kinds of twisting light—a
see the whole sequence happening in reverse
“bosonic” form emerging from the quantum
order: B happening before A. It’s as if time is
field as photons and gluons that all have spin
going forwards for one but backwards for the
1 and a “fermionic” form emerging as spin ½
other. So what we find with relativity is that
leptons and quarks.4 The universe of matter
there is no universal time order for events
is then made from the interplay of these
that happen simultaneously when seen by
bosons and fermions and these in turn
one observer: observers moving at different
emerge as these two kinds of light: spin 1 and
speeds don’t necessarily agree on the order
spin ½ luxons.
that such things happen.
The Higgs field interacts with the

spin ½ luxons, causing them to zigzag and
Is the Higgs field the mind of God? A
change “handedness”5 going from right-
really big speculation about a mind

field
4 Boson includes all whole quantum number spinning particles, 1, 2, 
There seems to be three kinds of matter:
and so on, while fermion includes all half‐odd integer numbers 1/2, 
3/2, 5/2, and so on.  tardyons, luxons, and tachyons. Tardyons
5 Handedness refers to how a particle spins. Electrons and quarks 

come in two hands—right and left.  Right‐handed particles spin 
counter‐clockwise;  left‐handed  particles  spin  clockwise  while  thumb points. A right‐handed particle spins and moves as your 
moving in a given direction.  If you examine your own hands you  fingers and thumb of your right‐hand indicate.  A left‐handed 
can picture a left‐handed article’s spin as the direction your fingers  particles spins in the opposite direction to a right‐handed particle 
curl with the direction of motion as the direction in which your  as your own hands can attest. 
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