  Orthodox Copenhagen quantum theory renounces the quest to understand the
reality in which we are imbedded, and settles for practical rules describing
connections between our observations. Many physicist have regarded this
renunciation of our effort to describe nature herself as premature, and John
von Neumann reformulated quantum theory as a theory of an evolving objective
universe interacting with human consciousness. This interaction is associated
both in Copenhagen quantum theory and in von Neumann quantum theory with a
sudden change that brings the objective physical state of a system in line with
a subjectively felt psychical reality. The objective physical state is thereby
converted from a material substrate to an informational and dispositional
substrate that carries both the information incorporated into it by the
psychical realities, and certain dispositions for the occurrence of future
psychical realities. The present work examines and proposes solutions to two
problems that have appeared to block the development of this conception of
nature. The first problem is how to reconcile this theory with the principles
of relativistic quantum field theory; the second problem is to understand
whether, strictly within quantum theory, a person's mind can affect the
activities of his brain, and if so how. Solving the first problem involves
resolving a certain nonlocality question. The proposed solution to the second
problem is based on a postulated connection between effort, attention, and the
quantum Zeno effect. This solution explains on the basis of quantum physics a
large amount of heretofore unexplained data amassed by psychologists.
