Hameroff,Planck,&Morality

From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Wed Mar 05 2003 - 22:54:35 MST

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    Certainly a bit new-agey, but most on the list are familiar with his
    speculations he and physicist, Roger Penrose have done. Hey, we need to think
    unconventionally, now and again. Not that intense an article, and good for a
    brief read.

    http://www.metanexus.net/archives/message_fs.asp?listtype=Magazine&
    ARCHIVEID=7736

    <<Assume consciousness is indeed occurring at the level of fundamental
    spacetime geometry at the Planck scale," says Stuart Hameroff, Professor in
    the Departments of Anesthesiology and of Psychology at the University of
    Arizona, "connected to our brains by quantum processes in microtubules. Then
    if the brain stops working the quantum information at the Planck scale could
    persist and remain coherent because of quantum entanglement, leaking out into
    spacetime geometry outside the head. It's possible that the soul could be a
    particular distributed pattern in fundamental spacetime geometry at the
    Planck scale."

    Now, this, if true, could create interesting problems and possibilities.
    Consider a future debate in medical ethics about brain death occurring at the
    quantum level, for instance. Or the notions of personal responsibility, as
    Hameroff notes:

    "Either evil is implicit at the Planck scale along with good, or evil people
    are wired differently biologically for whatever reason and are influenced in
    an aberrant way. But even so-called good people must allow themselves to be
    influenced by Platonic values rather than ignoring or over-riding them due to
    some needs or gratification.">>
        
        
        



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