The human mind is one of the great mysteries of modern science, as we cannot sufficiently explain how the brain in general, or consciousness in particular, works. However, it’s a reasonable “null hypothesis” to presume that electricity, i.e., the flow of electrons, is the primary driver behind our perceptions that we are conscious. Although quantum effects may play a role, it’s an unnecessary complication to presume that consciousness is anything other than the flow of electricity. (Credit: agsandrew/Adobe Stock)

Ask Ethan: How do fundamental particles create consciousness?

At a fundamental level, only a few particles and forces govern all of reality. How do their combinations create human consciousness?

In theory, everything that exists in the physical Universe is dependent only on the same fundamental entities and interactions that we find by splitting matter apart down to the smallest possible scales. Living creatures can be divided into cells; cells themselves are composed of organelles; organelles can be broken down into molecules; molecules are made up of atoms; atoms are comprised of electrons and atomic nuclei; electrons cannot be broken down further, but nuclei themselves consist of quarks and gluons. We should, therefore, be able to take these fundamental constituents of matter — quarks, gluons, and electrons — and assemble them in various ways to explain everything that we encounter in everyday life.

But with just these simple building blocks and the four fundamental interactions, is that really possible? Can we explain everything, including conscious human beings? It’s an enormous challenge, for sure. This week’s Ask Ethan inquiry comes from Ottho Heldring, to whom it seems impossible that this could simply be the result of natural conditions with random chance thrown in: