Consciousness and Endogenous State Reduction: Two Experiments

Abstract

It is normally claimed that physical systems create and influence consciousness, but that consciousness cannot influence physical systems. However, I believe that this idea is flawed, and I suggest the following experiments as a way of demonstrating the influence of consciousness on physical systems. The first uses Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with humans, and the second uses autoradiography with rats. Background arguments are given, where it is claimed that 'pain' consciousness is correlated in a certain way with the binding of opiates to receptors in the brain. Key Words: state reduction, state collapse, macroscopic superpositions, PET scan, autoradiography.