Peter Ryser Creative Choice

In this paper a new interactionistic model of mental causation is developed. By analysing the results of physics and neuroscience it is shown that the macroscopic cerebral activity and the resulting behavioural output is not strictly determined. This opens up the possibility that a non-physical mind can influence which of the physically allowed brain states is realised. Most models of mental causation postulate that there are coherent quantum states in the brain which could be influenced by a local mind-brain interaction. Due to environmental decoherence, however, it is questionable whether coherent quantum states can exist in the warm and wet brain. The here presented ‘creative choice theory’solves the problem of environmental decoherence by including the environment. The whole universe is considered as a quantum system that is in superposition of alternative realities. It is then assumed that a universal mind collapses the universal wave-function whilst individual minds (as part of the universal mind) interact with individual brains. This leads to a holistic model of reality that could also provide an explanation for ESP-phenomena and mystical experiences.