Quantum theories of consciousness: a critical review of feasibility, philosophical sufficiency, and empirical testability.
- 2026-04-29
- Frontiers in psychology 17
- Xun Ma
- Aoping Wang
- PubMed: 42137085
- DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1730965
Study Design
- Type
- Review
Explaining subjective experience (the "hard problem") remains a central challenge in consciousness science. Research on "quantum consciousness" has grown rapidly in recent years, yet a substantial subset merely links terms such as collapse, superposition, and entanglement to qualia in verbal maneuvers that lack testable mechanistic commitments. This article adopts a theory-first critical-review framework and evaluates three classes of quantum theories of consciousness along three axes: (1) physical feasibility in warm, wet neural tissue strongly coupled to its environment; (2) philosophical sufficiency, i.e., a bridge from posited quantum processes to phenomenal character; and (3) empirical testability against classical alternatives. Based on the synthesized evidence, the present review suggests that further progress should prioritize experimentally tractable programs, in order to avoid the use of quantum terminology without mechanistic grounding in consciousness research and to convert debates into discriminating empirical programs.
Research Insights
Null findings are scientifically important – do not omit a measured outcome just because the result was negative or non-significant.
- Effect
- Neutral
- Effect size
- Small
Null findings are scientifically important – do not omit a measured outcome just because the result was negative or non-significant.
- Effect
- Neutral
- Effect size
- Small