Quantum Cognition

Focus

Using quantum probability theory to model human thought

Principal Metaphors

  • Knowledge is ... range of possible action
    Knowing is ... doing, being
    Learner is ... complex (emergent, evolving) agent
    Learning is ... adapting
  • Teaching is … N/A

 Originated

1990s

Synopsis

Quantum Cognition draws on quantum information theory and quantum probability theory in efforts to develop mathematical models of human learning, perception, emotion, and thought. Importantly, proponents of Quantum Cognition do not assert that mind can be explained in terms of quantum mechanical processes (compare Quantum Mind). Rather, within Quantum Cognition, human thought is seen quantum-like – that is, analogous in some ways to quantum phenomena (e.g., fundamentally contextual; unavailable for objective study). Associated discourses include:
  • Implicate Order Theory (Theory of the Implicate and Explicate Orders) (David Bohm, 1980s) – a proposal that reality is not composed of isolated parts but of processes that continually unfold and enfold one another through two intertwined dimensions of order:
    • Explicate Order (David Bohm, 1980s) – the world one normally perceives – objects, events, and patterns that appear separate and sequential in space and time. The Explicate Order is the domain of measurable phenomena, where cause and effect seem linear and distinct.
    • Implicate Order (David Bohm, 1980s) – a deeper, enfolded reality in which everything is internally related. What is perceived as independent events in the explicate order are expressions of a single, dynamic wholeness within the implicate order.
  • Quantum Biology (1990s) – research into how quantum phenomena – such as coherence, tunneling, and entanglement – affect biological processes. Quantum Biology investigates quantum effects in photosynthesis, enzyme activity, olfaction, and possibly cognition, linking subatomic physics to living systems. Associated discourses include:
    • Quantum Darwinism (Wojciech Zurek, 2000s) – the proposition that the reality that one experiences is the result of a natural selection process for quantum states, where only stable, reproducible information survives and is accessible to observers
    • Quantum Neuroscience (Quantum Neurobiology; Quantum Neurophysics) ­(Christof Koch, Klaus Hepp, 2000s) – a domain concerned with potential quantum effects in the brain and the application of Quantum Information Science to Neuroscience
  • Quantum Information Science – a domain that blends quantum mechanics and Information Science (under Cybernetics). Associated discourses include:
    • Quantum Decision Theory (Andrei Khrennikov, 2000s) – a perspective that draws on principles of quantum physics (e.g., superposition, entanglement) to model decisions in ways intended to better account for ambiguity, unpredictability, and evolving contexts than classical, probability-based models
  • Relativistic Theory of Cognition (Nir Lahav, 2020s) – the proposal that cognition arises in physical measurements – which, depending on one’s frame of reference, are experienced as either subjective thought (by the agent) or objective brain activity (by an observer). Associated discourses include:
    • Dynamic Organicity Theory (Roman Poznanski, 2020s) – the proposal that consciousness emerges from the nonlinear, self-organizing dynamics of the brain’s neural and electromagnetic fields. Dynamic Organicity Theory integrates quantum and classical processes to model the brain as a living, dynamic system where coherence and complexity generate subjective experience
    • N-Frame Model (Darren Edwards, 2020s) – a theory of consciousness combining predictive coding, quantum Bayesianism, and evolutionary dynamics, emphasizing observer-centric, emergent, and probabilistic processes in shaping conscious experience

Commentary

Quantum Cognition is typically described and defended in terms of the shortcomings of those models of cognition that are rooted in more traditional and/or conventional discourses. Such models, it is typically asserted, have hit barriers and/or are tied up in paradoxes. While there is some merit in those criticisms, it is not at all clear that the models developed by advocates of Quantum Cognition are any more compelling or useful.

Authors and/or Prominent Influences

Diederik Aerts

Status as a Theory of Learning

Quantum Cognition is a discourse on learning and cognition.

Status as a Theory of Teaching

Quantum Cognition is not concerned with matters associated with teaching or formal education.

Status as a Scientific Theory

Quantum Cognition is an emerging field that is rooted in nuanced understandings of quantum theory. Proponents assert that it holds much promise, but its assertions have yet to be tested or demonstrated in robust and substantial ways.

Subdiscourses:

  • Dynamic Organicity Theory
  • Explicate Order
  • Implicate Order
  • Implicate Order Theory (Theory of the Implicate and Explicate Orders)
  • N-Frame Model
  • Quantum Biology
  • Quantum Darwinism
  • Quantum Decision Theory
  • Quantum Information Science
  • Quantum Neuroscience (Quantum Neurobiology; Quantum Neurophysics)
  • Relativistic Theory of Cognition

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Please cite this article as:
Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2025). “Quantum Cognition” in Discourses on Learning in Education. https://learningdiscourses.com.


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