Radical new theory of consciousness explains what happens when you die

"Consciousness does not emerge from human brains, according to Professor Maria Strømme, a professor of nanotechnology at Uppsala University. Instead, she claims that it exists as a fundamental field. If this is correct, 'mysterious' phenomena such as telepathy, near-death experiences, and even life after death could finally be explained by science. According to Professor Strømme's theory, consciousness does not end when we die. Instead, when a person passes away, their consciousness simply returns to the background field."

"Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Strømme explained: 'The possibility that consciousness is fundamental has been under-explored. But that is changing rapidly. 'We are reaching a point where asking deeper questions about consciousness is not philosophy on the margins - it is becoming a scientific necessity.' According to more traditional theories of quantum physics, particles and energy all emerge from vibrations in a fundamental field - like how waves emerge from vibrations in water."

"Professor Strømme told the Daily Mail: 'In the model, individual consciousness is understood as a localised excitation or configuration within a universal consciousness field - much like a wave on the surface of an ocean. 'A wave has a form that is temporary, but the water that carries it does not vanish when the wave subsides.' What's more, the theory suggests that consciousness does not end when we die, and instead, it simply returns to the background field."

Consciousness is proposed as a fundamental, universal field rather than an emergent property of human brains. Individual minds are described as localized excitations or configurations within that universal field, analogous to waves on an ocean whose form is temporary while the underlying water persists. Phenomena such as telepathy, near-death experiences, and purported life after death could be explained by interactions with or returns to the background consciousness field. Under this model, consciousness does not begin or end with an individual brain; when a person dies, their localized consciousness subsides and its awareness returns to the fundamental substrate.

Read at Mail Online