Abstract: The progress in modern physics, especially, the birth of quantum theory as well as that of neuroscience raises interest about the nature of reality and its connection with consciousness. The motive of both philosophers and scientists is to understand the ultimate reality, though with different perspectives but arguably the same purpose to move closer in knowing the truth. Since the very inception of quantum theory, describing the behaviour of microscopic entities like electron, proton, photon etc., the issue of consciousness was raised to address the process of observation, or measurement. It raises epistemological debate on the issue of reality in the physical world. In the history of modern science, the issue of observer, the system to be observed and the instrument drew attention to the scientific community as well as the philosophers as and when they try to understand the concept of reality in the microscopic domain – historically known as measurement problem in quantum theory. If we want to observe the behaviour of microscopic entities, the instrument used in this measurement, produces disturbance in the state of the system. This disturbance changes the state of the system and it is no more legitimate to ask what was the reality before measurement, - according to Bohr and his collaborators (popularly known as Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory). According to the view of this school, unless you observe you cannot say anything about the reality. It appears to be observer dependent reality. Various schools of Indian philosophy (including Buddhist one) discussed extensively the several crucial aspects of consciousness and the issue of observer, Vedanta and Advaita Saivagam of Kashmir, for example, - all of them, studied to realize the ultimate reality, i.e., the nature of reality, the role of the observer and consciousness in a comprehensive way. But, at this crucial junction, one might ask the relevance and benefit of the presentation of such type of correspondence among different knowledge systems, i.e., modern science, Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism in Indian Philosophy, for example. The simple answer is that our analysis should offer insight into the motivation of physicist as well as that of a philosopher.
About the speaker: Prof. Sisir Roy is the Honorary Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. Formerly he was a Senior Homi Bhabha Fellow, NIAS and was Professor, Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
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