[astrange]

> Saying consciousness is the result of quantum effects in microtubules explains nothing -- it is just a very tiny rug which one could imagine is hiding the truth, as all the larger scale hiding places have been inspected and found lacking.

It also doesn't conflict with physicalism. I think he's trying to argue that consciousness would need more than you can do with a classical computer, but it doesn't seem to imply that. Classical computers are made of hardware components that rely on quantum effects to work, but that doesn't make them "quantum computers".

[tasty_freeze]

Everything relies on quantum effects. Water wouldn't behave like water. Gold metal would have a different color, etc.

All the same, I don't think there is special quantum magic above and beyond the "ordinary" quantum phenomena needed to explain our brains.

[astrange]

Well quantum computers definitely have "quantum magic"; for some reason the universe lets us build something that can do Shor's algorithm in less than forever. Even if we can't actually do it yet.

But it doesn't seem like human brains are doing Shor's algorithm.