Consciousness

While the long-dominant materialist paradigm posits that consciousness is solely a product of the physical brain, a growing body of evidence and theory challenges this view, suggesting that mind may, in fact, be fundamental and non-local. This nascent section explores the compelling research and conceptual frameworks that point towards consciousness existing beyond the confines of the physical body. It brings together rigorous meta-analyses of parapsychological phenomena, radical theories inspired by quantum biology, and new models that propose the brain not as a creator but as a receiver of consciousness, inviting a critical re-examination of what it means to be aware.

Sosteric, M. (2025). The shifting paradigm in the science of consciousness. The Peace Table. https://professor-s.medium.com/the-shifting-paradigm-in-the-science-of-consciousness-25c8511a3641?postPublishedType=initial

This article argues that the dominant materialist model of consciousness—which locates it solely within the brain—is increasingly untenable. Surveying evidence from near-death experiences, parapsychology, and quantum biology, Sosteric examines how theories like Paul Mocombe’s Consciousness Field Theory (CFT) attempt to explain non-local awareness by positing that the brain receives consciousness from a universal field of information. The article frames this as a pivotal, if imperfect, shift in scientific discourse, one that forces a re-evaluation of the self, human privilege, and the very nature of reality. Read.

Cardeña, E. (2018). The experimental evidence for parapsychological phenomena: A review. American Psychologist, 73(5), 663–677. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000236

This landmark review by psychologist Etzel Cardeña synthesizes the extensive experimental evidence for parapsychological (psi) phenomena, arguing that the cumulative data from decades of meta-analyses provides robust support for the reality of anomalous cognition (e.g., telepathy, precognition) and anomalous perturbation (mind-matter interaction). Cardeña demonstrates that these small but statistically significant effects persist across various rigorous protocols (ganzfeld, remote viewing, presentiment) and cannot be reasonably explained away by poor methodology, fraud, or selective publication. He further grounds the plausibility of psi in modern physics theories, including quantum nonlocality and retrocausality, challenging the materialist assumption that such phenomena are impossible. In the current context of a shifting paradigm in consciousness science, this article serves as a critical empirical foundation, asserting that psi phenomena are a legitimate, if poorly understood, aspect of mind that demands integration into a comprehensive study of consciousness rather than continued dismissal. Read.

Lambert, N., Chen, Y., Cheng, Y., Li, C., Chen, G., & Nori, F. (2013). Quantum biology. Nature Physics, 9(1), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2474

This comprehensive review article examines the evidence for and against non-trivial quantum effects—specifically quantum coherence and entanglement—playing a functional role in biological systems. The authors argue that while all chemistry is fundamentally quantum, the key question is whether organisms actively exploit quantum phenomena like superposition to gain a biological advantage, such as enhanced efficiency or capabilities beyond classical limits. The article focuses on three primary areas: photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, where quantum coherence may enhance the efficiency of energy transfer to nearly 100%; avian magnetoreception, where the radical-pair mechanism in cryptochrome proteins may act as a quantum-based chemical compass sensitive to the Earth’s weak magnetic field; and other processes like enzyme catalysis and electron tunneling, which rely on more “trivial” quantum effects like quantization and tunneling. The review concludes that while evidence for room-temperature quantum effects in biology is remarkable, the field is still nascent, with open questions about the precise biological advantage and the need for further in vivo validation. Read