Roger Penrose's Mind-Bending Theory of Reality

Nobel Laureate Sir Roger Penrose on his Orch OR theory of consciousness that could change what we know about time, the universe and reality, by incorporating the physics of consciousness. Explore mind blowing facts about our reality that show consciousness in quantum mechanics.

This is a distillation of approximately 27 hours of talks from October 2022 - October 2023. This video was edited so that viewers without math or physics backgrounds could understand these ideas.

Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) is the Penrose-Hameroff theory of consciousness based on quantum physics.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment to be considered for inclusion in a follow-up interview. Please include a question mark in your questions (that's what I'll filter for).

Subtitles [CC] have been proofread by a human :)
Interview edited for time. Integrity of expert commentary respected and preserved.
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Variable minds is where I post interviews with sources, science explainers and in-progress investigative science reporting. These videos are sort of where podcasts meet documentaries, or podumentaries.

This channel intersects science, tech, art, and creativity. I talk to experts and investigate cognitive systems in humans, nonhumans, and AI, the hard problem of consciousness, and movements to hybridize with technology: transhumanism and the extended mind thesis (EMT).

I also cover research on the artistic mind, unique artistic expression, and the challenges to intelligent and creative anthropocentrism in the wake of generative art, large language models, novel synthetic organisms and exponential technology. At the core of this channel is a commitment to continual learning, holistic thinking (intelligent holism) and the joy of lifelong learning.

[markopolo]

Fantastic article in Forbes. Wish I had known I could've watched it lol. Or did I know?

[philosoraptor]

"Can you elaborate?"
"No, because I don't know what I'm talking about." 🤣🤣🤣
Penrose is a rare gem.

[leonnoel]

By far the best interview on Youtube in years. Sir Penrose is 93 and his brain is still working like a Swiss watch.

[chewyjello]

Wow...I've watched many interviews with Penrose where you could tell he was bored to death and wished he could be somewhere else. But you can tell he is just having the best time in these interviews! This is both thoroughly educational and wholesome....love it!

[fernandocostadecampos]

This interview blew my mind. The article is amazing, so well written, but this interview? WOW. Sir Roger Penrose is not one of the most brilliant minds alive: he is one of the most brilliant minds EVER. And so generous, sensitive, what an amazing man. Congratulations Andrea for being such an amazing and prepared interviewer. Thank you, you are a great journalist. What an interview.

[MrNicogp]

This stands out as the best interviews of Roger Penrose in at least a decade. Hats off to the interviewer for investing the time in researching his work and spending time with him in developing trust and raport. This has created an invaluable record of an extraordinary mind, both deaply analytical and charmingly playfull. Thank you so much.

[neilcoles]

It takes a really smart interviewer to hold this dialogue with arguably one of the greatest scientific and mathematicical intellects of the past century and still consider the viewer also. Massive kudos for this.

[jimidaly]

What a gift this interview is. Andrea, if there's a Pulitzer for interview moderating you deserve a nomination. I've heard so many people try to explain the relationship between quantum and classical physics but never as intuitively as Sir Penrose did here.

[tomg]

Excellent presentation. Penrose threw down the gauntlet (effectively) more than 30 years ago stating physics could not advance significantly until a theory of consciousness emerged. One of the greatest minds ever in physics, I tend to think.

[chaferraro]

What a beautiful and insightful interview...
Your intelligence is clearly evident when maintaining a conversation with Sir Penrose, where he laughs out of questions he didn't imagine coming and/or have no answers to.
What a treat!

[andreylogutov]

The level of understanding and preparedness on the side of the interviewer is unbelievable.

[tajnewell]

This is a comment on the article in Forbes. Please don't take this the wrong way, most science based reporting these days is undertaken by lay people who appear too lazy to research the subject they are writing about. This leads to inaccurate and confusing prose, leading to misconceptions that are sometimes amplified many times over. It is refreshing to read something penned by someone who understands the concepts they are writing about and one who has obviously expended considerable time and effortbin doing so. It shows, your writing is excellent and it was a very interesting article, thank you.

[jackhayward]

You have done an outstanding job of drawing out Sir Roger so that he clearly explains his ideas. You have posed some wonderful questions that have him pondering things in ways that he hasn't thought about. I think that you two make a powerful combination, and I recommend that you both work together much more! Fantastic!

[lucasekstrom]

Incredible conversation and subsequent elucidation of these beautiful ideas.

What a gift to humanity to have the intellect of Penrose coincide in time with the observed capacity of the interviewer to crystallize these concepts into a meaningful and understandable web of ideas and remaining questions to be further explored.

[TK_Prod]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:00 🌀 *Orch OR theory connects consciousness and quantum mechanics, relying on wave function collapse, challenging traditional quantum understanding.*
15:57 🌌 *Retroactivity links classical and quantum realities, highlighting wave function collapse's significance.*
19:44 💡 *Quantum reality, separate from classical, involves retro-causation without transmitting information.*
21:41 ⚛️ *Gravity's role in wave function collapse aligns with relativity, reshaping quantum concepts.*
26:25 🔄 *Collapse makes quantum actions appear classical, bridging quantum and classical worlds.*
33:40 ⏳ *Penrose's theory challenges conscious choice timing, causing the Hemingway paradox.*
35:10 🌐 *Quantum collapses shape nearly classical universes.*
39:51 🌀 *Hemingway paradox challenges our understanding of conscious decisions and time.*
44:10 🧠 *Neuronal microtubules may relate to consciousness.*
46:34 ⏱️ *Brain reorders events to fit causal timelines.*
51:23 🧮 *Gödel's theorem transcends computational systems, suggesting consciousness isn't computable.*
56:10 🛠️ *Collapse leading to proto-consciousness might surpass ordinary computing.*
01:09:04 🤖 *Penrose relaxes the brain with mindless activities during complex thoughts.*

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[LiliumJSN]

And that's how you interview with Penrose. This is among the best interviews available in Youtube. Congratulation.

[laurancedoyle]

this was the best interview of Roger Penrose I've ever seen, and I go back in physics more than four decades!

[adaiku]

Your ability to take in and rephrase what Penrose was saying made these interviews truly engaging and thought provoking. Thanks so much for the great work.

[wolrdsstrongestdrummer]

This has to be the most comprehensive and digestible presentation of this theory available on the internet right now. More people need to try to understand these ideas so we can actually fund the experiments that matter!

[LaserGuidedLoogie]

Great interview. Penrose really is the greatest physicist of my lifetime, and I have to commend the interviewer for being smart and empathetic in her ability to understand and communicate these ideas.