Is Consciousness a Quantum Phenomenon?

Does Quantum Mechanics Explain Self-Awareness and Free Will?

If you’re reading this right now, you’re either a conscious being or an internet bot. (Or both.) That’s pretty obvious, but what’s not obvious is what makes you conscious. Consciousness is defined as knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists. It allows us to be aware of our surroundings and our own mental, physical and emotional state. Despite the fact that we experience consciousness everyday, we don’t fully understand it. Scientists still aren’t sure exactly where consciousness originates. Is it in the brain? Can plants, fungi or bacteria be conscious? What about AI? I think the dilemma surrounding consciousness is summed up well by this quote from Scientific American:

“Ultimately what we need is a satisfying scientific theory of consciousness that predicts under which conditions any particular physical system — whether it is a complex circuit of neurons or silicon transistors — has experiences. Furthermore, why does the quality of these experiences differ? Why does a clear blue sky feel so different from the screech of a badly tuned violin? Do these differences in sensation have a function, and if so, what is it? Such a theory will allow us to infer which systems will experience anything. Absent of a theory with testable…