Please Help Me Understand Consciousness

[Mudhammam]

You caution is justified. Some new age types invoke quantum mechanics to justify all manner of doctrines. That does not mean that serious inquiry is focusing on quantum phenomena as a link between mind and brain. Mechanistic 19th century physics seems highly incapable of supporting a robust theory of consciousness. The incoherence of current naturalistic theories based on Newtonian physics warrants looking elsewhere. That said, people's understanding of the natural world conforms to the larger metaphysical framework within which they work. If ontological naturalism is taken for granted then some potentially effective lines of inquiry will be forsaken.

Ontological naturalism... As opposed to what exactly?

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Victor Stenger wrote a book or paper on the subject, but I haven't read it. He would be a good source for the skeptical viewpoint on the subject though. I know Sam Harris has also made occasional comments on the subject, but I don't know if he's written anything extensive on the subject. Quantum consciousness, like many ideas on consciousness, involves vague intuitions about "what must be" without an actual theoretical mechanism for making that happen.

I've read a little on the Stenger book. This is actually the only critical work focusing on New Age philosophy (well, minus what I'm sure has been written in response to Penrose-Hameroff) I've yet to find from a materialist. It definitely sounds like a worthwhile read although my one concern from some of the reviews I've read is that Stenger goes after the easier targets and doesn't deal with the arguments that even some of QM's pioneers and biggest proponents have embraced.