Kak’s Universal Consciousness

Computer scientist Subhash Kak proposes that consciousness is primary and that the very understanding of physical reality takes place in consciousness. He argues that consciousness cannot be a property of the brain; therefore, it is nonmaterial and transcends materiality. It is like a light that illuminates the physical universe (Kak, 2009, 2023).

Although for all practical purposes the physical world and consciousness are complementary, the latter is more fundamental. Moreover, Kak claims that quantum principles should apply to abstractions related to the brain and mind, which he calls quantum neural computing (Kak, 1995). This has led him to propose that brain behavior is associated with three languages: quantum, associative, and reorganizational (Kak, 1996).

To Kak, “The mind processes signals coming into the brain to obtain its understanding in the domains of seeing, hearing, touching, and tasting using its store of memories. The cognitive act is an active process where the selectivity of the sensors and the accompanying processing in the brain is organized based on the expectation of the cognitive task and on effort, will, and intention” (Kak, 2009).

Consciousness Beyond the Brain

There are two essential parts to understanding the universe, Kak contends: “its representation in terms of material objects, and the way this representation changes over time.” In philosophy, he says, “these are the positions of two different schools, one believing that reality is being, and the other that it is becoming. The conception of the world as being is associated with materialism, while that of becoming is associated with idealism. In the materialist view, mental experience is emergent on the material ground, and contents of the mind are secondary to the physical world. Conversely, in the idealist position, consciousness has primacy” (Kak, 2009).

Kak stresses, “The question of consciousness is connected to the relationship between brain and mind. Reductionism considers them to be identical—with mind representing the sum of the activity in the brain—at a suitable higher level of representation. Opposed to this is the viewpoint that although mind requires a physical structure, it ends up transcending that structure. Quantum mechanics is relevant, since it is the deepest theory of physics, and it is a theory of observables in which information is the fundamental quantity” (Kak, 2009).

“The structure of the inner cosmos belongs to the domain of psychology, but it is fair to assume that at some level it mirrors the outer cosmos. Since quantum theory must ultimately underlie the processes in the inner cosmos, it appears that for the sake of symmetry, it should be possible for consciousness to influence the outer cosmos.” In this view, “consciousness is complementary to space, time and matter, it needs material support to be embodied as ‘awareness.’ Conversely, it is meaningless to speak of a universe without observers” (Kak, 2009).

Inner and Outer Cosmos

Kak’s position is that “Although the inner cosmos is physically located in the brain, we cannot speak of where in the brain the perceiving self resides because that would amount to a homunculus argument. The perceiving self cannot be in a unique neuron in the brain, because that would require such a neuron to have the capacity to process all the information that the individual possesses, which is clearly impossible for a cellular structure that can only do simple processing. Conversely, if the perceiving self was distributed over an area, then we need to postulate another homunculus within this area to process the information reaching the self.”

Thus, Kak concludes, “the conscious self can neither be localized to a single cell, nor assumed to be distributed over the entire brain or a part of it. We cannot speak of where the self is, but only of how the self obtains knowledge. Since the self is associated with the brain, it uses it as the lens through which to perceive the world. Our knowledge of the world is, therefore, contingent on the neurophysiological nature of the brain. If we can make sense of the world, it is because we are biologically programmed to do so, and we have an innate capacity for it. Our conception of the cosmos is based on the relationship between our brain and mind.

This idea is expressed in the slogan that the outer is mirrored in the inner.” Elaborating on this idea, Kak speculates that “patterns seen in the outer world characterize the inner world as well” (Kak, 2009).

But, he argues, “unlike the computer that only follows the program that has been loaded on it to solve a problem, the mind takes an active role in processing the information received by the senses. Another way this difference may be seen is through the lens of determinism associated with machines and natural processes, whereas free-will is a characteristic of conscious behavior.” He claims, “We are not passive recipients of information; our prior knowledge and beliefs shape how we interpret and understand new information. This is the reason why, unlike the working of a computer, perception and other brain behaviors are imbued with subtle paradoxes. Perception is based both on fragments of the sensory input, and expectations about the data. What we perceive is a creation by the mind based on shades of the sensory input” (Kak, 2025).

Mind, Memory, and Free Will

Kak’s theory of consciousness is encompassing. The totality of mental phenomena, he says, “includes both conscious and unconscious processes, which can influence an individual without intention or awareness. Some use mind to refer only to cognitive functions associated with perception, reasoning, awareness, and memory, but more broadly it also includes processes like feeling, motivation, and behavior.” Memory, obviously, is essential; Kak describes it as “an active and constructive process based on beliefs, expectations, and experiences, and it changes in each recounting. Memory comes as a whole; it is not constructed out of small fragments that are stitched together. Attention is influenced by goals, motivations, and interests” (Kak, 2025).

Kak’s overarching sense is that “consciousness both interpenetrates the physical universe and transcends it. It interacts with materiality by modifying the probabilities associated with physical state transitions” (Kak, 2025).