Sir Roger Penrose
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford
Quantum Consciousness depends on physics classical computers do not reproduce
Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist, mathematician, and philosopher of science. He was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for his foundational contributions to general relativity and black hole singularity theorems.
In The Emperor’s New Mind (1989) and Shadows of the Mind (1994), Penrose utilized Gödel’s incompleteness theorems to argue that human mathematical insight and conscious understanding cannot be computed by any algorithmic Turing machine. Collaborating with anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, he formulated the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) theory, proposing that consciousness originates from quantum state superposition reductions occurring within neuronal microtubules orchestrated by gravitational thresholds in spacetime geometry.
Penrose’s framework fundamentally rules out digital silicon computers from achieving genuine conscious comprehension, asserting that synthetic consciousness requires physical architectures capable of non-computable objective quantum state reduction.
Known for. Nobel Prize in Physics (2020), Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) with Stuart Hameroff, The Emperor's New Mind (1989), Shadows of the Mind (1994)
Coverage on this site
Research Papers and Preprints
- Michael Wiest and the New Quantum Evidence for Orch-OR September 2026
- Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose on Orchestrated Objective Reduction August 2026
Keynotes and Event Talks
- Consciousness Science 2026 San Diego Confirmed Speaker Lineup for October July 2026
- Consciousness Science 2026 Comes to San Diego as the TSC Successor Event July 2026
Related researchers
- Michael C. WiestDepartment of Neuroscience, Wellesley CollegeThe quantum microtubule substrate of consciousness and the anaesthetic-evidence thread for Orch-OR
- Stuart HameroffCenter for Consciousness Studies, University of ArizonaOrchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) with Roger Penrose, microtubule quantum resonance, anesthetic mechanisms of consciousness
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Michael LevinAllen Discovery Center, Tufts UniversityBioelectric signalling, the cognitive light cone, and diverse intelligence
- Terrence J. SejnowskiComputational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute / UC San DiegoCo-inventor of the Boltzmann Machine, The Computational Brain (1992), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), The Deep Learning Revolution (MIT Press, 2018)
- Alysson R. MuotriDepartment of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, UC San DiegoHuman brain organoids ('mini-brains'), spontaneous complex neural oscillations, electrophysiological development in in-vitro neural networks
- Susan SchneiderCenter for the Future Mind, Florida Atlantic UniversityArtificial Consciousness Tests (ACT), Artificial You, AI and the Future of Your Mind (Princeton, 2019), AI safety & cognitive rights, NASA-Baruch Blumberg Chair at Library of Congress
Sir Roger Penrose is listed with the other quantum theorists, who hold that consciousness depends on physics classical computers do not reproduce. The theory family behind that position is set out in the index of consciousness theories. Every researcher covered on this site is indexed in the directory of consciousness researchers.