The distinctive feature of conscious systems in comparison to non-conscious systems is the capacity to access and modulate an inherently sentient background field. This means that the brain produces an individual stream of consciousness by periodically modifying an omnipresent field of consciousness.
Research Statement
The current research activities focus on the foundations for a theory of consciousness. A central characteristic of the approach is a deeper understanding of quantum systems, which offers new perspectives for consciousness research and sheds new light on the functioning of the brain.
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The approach rests on the hypothesis that phenomenal qualities are not generated by the brain but are rooted in a ubiquitous background field that exhibits an extrinsic physical manifestation and an intrinsic phenomenal essence. From this perspective, individual consciousness results from the dynamic interaction of the brain with this field. In other words, a conscious state is formed through resonant coupling of the brain to the omnipresent substrate of consciousness.
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Publications
Laying the Foundations for a Theory of Consciousness: The Significance of Critical Brain Dynamics for the Formation of Conscious States
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 18:1379191. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1379191
(April 2024)
Taking Robots Beyond the Threshold of Awareness: Scientifically Founded Conditions for Artificial Consciousness
Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Perception and Artificial Consciousness (AIxPAC 2023), CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Volume 3563, 14-23 (November 2023)
Scrutinizing the Feasibility of Macroscopic Quantum Coherence in the Brain: A Field-Theoretical Model of Cortical Dynamics
Frontiers in Physics 11:1181416. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2023.1181416 (June 2023)
​Models of Consciousness to Explain N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Ayahuasca Phenomenology
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Amazonian Ayahuasca Plant Medicine. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, e2835. doi: 10.1002/hup.2835 (February 2022)
In collaboration with Edward James and Thomas L. Robertshaw (School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University) as well as Ben Sessa (Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London)
Building Blocks for the Development of a Self-Consistent Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 15:723415. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.723415 (September 2021)
Cosmopsychism and Consciousness Research: A Fresh View on the Causal Mechanisms Underlying Phenomenal States
Frontiers in Psychology 11:371. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00371 (March 2020)
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In collaboration with Itay Shani, Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
The Common Basis of Memory and Consciousness: Understanding the Brain as a Write-Read Head Interacting With an Omnipresent Background Field
Frontiers in Psychology 10:2968. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02968 (January 2020)
Beyond Combination: How Cosmic Consciousness Grounds Ordinary Experience
Journal of the American Philosophical Association 4, 390-410. doi: 10.1017/apa.2018.30 (December 2018)
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In collaboration with Itay Shani, Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
The Role of the Brain in Conscious Processes: A New Way of Looking at the Neural Correlates of Consciousness
Frontiers in Psychology 9:1346. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01346 (August 2018)
Shedding Light on the Fundamental Mechanism Underlying Hypnotic Analgesia
Annals of Palliative Medicine 7, 170-176. doi: 10.21037/apm.2017.04.03 (January 2018)
On the Universal Mechanism Underlying Conscious Systems and the Foundations for a Theory of Consciousness
Open Journal of Philosophy 6, 346-367. doi: 10.4236/ojpp.2016.64034 (November 2016)
A New Perspective on the Functioning of the Brain and the Mechanisms behind Conscious Processes
Frontiers in Psychology 4:242. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00242 (April 2013)
Materie und Bewusstsein
Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Materie öffnet die Tür zu einer Theorie des Bewusstseins
Research paper in German (November 2012)
A Conceptual Framework for Consciousness Based on a Deep Understanding of Matter
Philosophy Study 2, 689-703. doi: 10.17265/2159-5313/2012.10.001 (October 2012)
Book Chapters
Building Blocks for the Development of a Self-Consistent Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness
Electromagnetic Field Theories of Consciousness: Opportunities and Obstacles,
eds. Hunt, T., Schooler, J., McFadden, J., Delorme, A., Hales, C. G., Jones, M., and Ericson, M., Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA (March 2024)
Brain and Mind: How Neural Networks Acquire Phenomenal Awareness by Tapping into a Ubiquitous Field of Consciousness
Bioethics and Consciousness, eds. Gómez, A.G., Brugnoli, M.P., and Carrara, A., Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (September 2021)
Cosmopsychism and Consciousness Research: A Fresh View on the Causal Mechanisms Underlying Phenomenal States
Integrating Philosophical and Scientific Approaches in Consciousness Research, eds. Gutland, C., Cai, W., and Fernandez, A.V., Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA (June 2021)
Scientific Networks and Platforms
Profile on Loop
Profile on PhilPeople
Profile on ResearchGate
Profile on Academia
Profile on Google Scholar
Profile on ORCID
Podcasts
Quantenbiologie und die Entstehung von Bewusstseinszuständen
Was macht menschliches Bewusstsein aus?
Nicht das Gehirn ist Sitz des Bewusstseins – seine Kopplung an das Bewusstseinsfeld generiert bewusste Zustände
Auf der Suche nach dem Bauplan für unser Bewusstsein
Conference Papers
The Path to Sentient Robots: AI Consciousness in the Light of New Insights into the Functioning of the Brain
Talk at the MoC5 Conference in Bamberg, Germany (October 2024)
A Field-Theoretical Model of Brain Dynamics Reveals the Mechanism Underlying Macroscopic Quantum Coherence and Its Significance for the Formation of Conscious States
Talk at the TSC 2023 Conference in Taormina, Sicily, Italy (May 2023)
The Agent behind the Scenes: Exposing the Universal Mechanism Underlying Conscious Systems
Presentation at the 20th Annual Meeting of the ASSC, Buenos Aires, Argentina (June 2016)
A Novel Approach to the Scientific Understanding and Exploration of Consciousness
Talk at the International Congress of Hypnosis 2015, Roots and Future of Consciousness, Paris, France (August 2015)
The Fundamental Mechanisms of Consciousness: Unveiling the True Relationship between Brain and Mind
Presentation at the TSC 2014 Conference in Tucson, Arizona, USA (April 2014)
A Conclusive Conceptual Framework for Consciousness: Roadmap for the Development of a Fundamental Theory
Talk at the TSC 2013 Conference in Agra, India (March 2013)
Tackling the Hard Problem
Talk at the TSC 2012 Conference in Tucson, Arizona, USA (April 2012)