The ORCH OR Theory of Consciousness and its CriticswithStuart Hameroff

Books Mentioned In This Interview

stuart hameroff toward a science of consciousness

Stuart Hameroff, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology and psychology at the Banner University Medical Center of the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is also co-founder and director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona. He is author of Ultimate Computing: Biomolecular Consciousness and Nanotechnology. Since 1994, he has organized the “Toward a Science of Consciousness” conferences at the University of Arizona and elsewhere. Working with Sir Roger Penrose, he is the co-author of the “Orch OR” theory of consciousness.

Here he discusses some of the major criticisms of the ORCH OR theory. He focuses on the question of how it would be possible for quantum effects to occur in the brain and how these would be related to consciousness. He also discusses questions concerning the mechanisms by which anesthesia works — suggesting that conventional thinking about this is now being revised. He also discusses the question of whether computational power and complexity could eventually result in consciousness.

(Recorded on July 8, 2017)

Published on July 10, 2017

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