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Quantum Structure in Cognition: Human Language as a Boson Gas of Entangled Words Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Diederik Aerts, Lester Beltran
We model a piece of text of human language telling a story by means of the quantum structure describing a Bose gas in a state close to a Bose–Einstein condensate near absolute zero temperature. For this we introduce energy levels for the words (concepts) used in the story and we also introduce the new notion of ‘cogniton’ as the quantum of human thought. Words (concepts) are then cognitons in different energy states as it is the case for photons ...

Using visual vignettes to explore sensitive topics: a research note on exploring attitudes towards people with albinism in Tanzania Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Tjitske De Groot, Wolfgang Jacquet, Free De Backer, Ruth Peters, Pieter Meurs

This study is one of the first to explore the use of (drawn) visual vignettes in qualitative research in Africa. The vignette method was used to discuss the sensitive topic of people’s attitudes towards people with albinism in Tanzania among high school students. Focus was on two key questions: (i) To what extent was the vignette method implemented as intended?; (ii) Has the vignette method achieved its goal?. This research note discusses the ...

On the Conceptuality Interpretation of Quantum and Relativity Theories Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Diederik Aerts, Massimiliano Sassoli De Bianchi, Sandro Sozzo, Tomas Veloz
How can we explain the strange behavior of quantum and relativistic entities? Why do they behave in ways that defy our intuition about how physical entities should behave, considering our ordinary experience of the world around us? In this article, we address these questions by showing that the comportment of quantum and relativistic entities is not that strange after all, if we only consider what their nature might possibly be: not an objectual ...

Quantum entanglement in physical and cognitive systems Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Diederik Aerts, Jonito Aerts Arguëlles, Lester Beltran, Suzette Geriente, Massimiliano Sassoli De Bianchi, Sandro Sozzo, Tomas Veloz
We provide a general description of the phenomenon of entanglement in bipartite systems, as it manifests in micro and macro physical systems, as well as in human cognitive processes. We do so by observing that when genuine coincidence measurements are considered, the violation of the 'marginal laws', in addition to the Bell-CHSH inequality, is also to be expected. The situation can be described in the quantum formalism by considering the ...

From Quantum Axiomatics to Quantum Conceptuality Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Diederik Aerts, Massimiliano Sassoli De Bianchi, Sandro Sozzo, Tomas Veloz
Since its inception, many physicists have seen in quantum mechanics the possibility, if not the necessity, of bringing cognitive aspects into the play, which were instead absent, or unnoticed, in the previous classical theories. In this article, we outline the path that led us to support the hypothesis that our physical reality is fundamentally conceptual-like and cognitivistic-like. However, contrary to the “abstract ego hypothesis” introduced ...

Quantum Theory Methods as a Possible Alternative for the Double-Blind Gold Standard of Evidence-Based Medicine: Outlining a New Research Program Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Diederik Aerts, Lester Beltran, Suzette Geriente, Massimiliano Sassoli De Bianchi, Sandro Sozzo, Tomas Veloz
We motivate the possibility of using notions and methods derived from quantum physics, and more specifically from the research field known as ‘quantum cognition’, to optimally model different situations in the field of medicine, its decision-making processes and ensuing practices, particularly in relation to chronic and rare diseases. This also as a way to devise alternative approaches to the generally adopted double-blind gold standard.

Community capitals of a Paramaca Maroon village in pictures: a Photovoice study on community resilience in the context of large-scale gold mining Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Lieselotte Vaneeckhaute, Tom Vanwing, Pieter Meurs, Bieke Abelshausen, Wolfgang Jacquet

In 2014, Newmont, a multinational mining company, invested in a large-scale 'open-pit' gold mining operation near a cluster of villages in the Paramaca Maroon community in Suriname. Mines are considered stressors that engender ecological, social and economic disruption. It is vital that place-based communities are resilient to the impact of this disruption. Resilience theory provides an applicable framework for studying how systems respond ...