On 10 December, a symposium “Science. Philosophy. Religion” was held at the JINR International Conference Hall, the theme of which was “Quantum physics on consciousness and the Universe”. In 2021, the Symposium covered the main directions of the relationship between quantum physics and consciousness: quantum physics and models of consciousness, conscious and unconscious in open quantum systems, information field in quantum physics and consciousness.

Participants were greeted by JINR Scientific Leader, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor, Academician of RAS Victor Matveev.

“The theme of this conference — what quantum physics can say about consciousness and the Universe — is very close to physicists who have been traditionally debating the subject matter of the study and the instrument of research. So is the nature of consciousness: on the one hand, it is an instrument of research, and on the other hand, it is a product of cognitive activity and human intelligence,” the speaker noted.

The Symposium was continued by the report of Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor Vladimir Nikitin, a chief researcher at the VBLHEP JINR Hadron Physics Group, who noted in his speech the “futility of efforts of science to create a complete picture of the world in one logically coherent theory”.

In response to the question about how science interacts with philosophy and religion, how much they need each other, Vladimir Nikitin emphasised, “We are governed by an overwhelming thirst for knowledge. At the same time, when a person faces the world at any level of its structure, they feel, as Albert Einstein said, something mysterious. We need more than just the logic of computations and precise knowledge”.

The discussion platform of the event with international participation on the basis of JINR in Dubna has traditionally brought together representatives of science, philosophy and theology to discuss current problems and find solutions to them. The aim of the project “Science. Philosophy. Religion” is to create an environment for the formation and discussion of new ideas in the interdisciplinary sphere and is oriented at finding solutions to common philosophical problems.

The speakers of the current symposium were a researcher of the Moscow Centre for Consciousness Studies, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences Anton Kuznetsov; Honorary Member of the Turing Centre at ETH Zurich, PhD in Physics Harald Atmanspacher; Candidate of Physics and Mathematics, Candidate of Theology, Archpriest Kyrill Kopeikin; Director of the International Centre for Mathematical Modeling in Physics and Cognitive Sciences, Linnaeus University (Växjö, Sweden), Professor Andrey Khrennikov; a member of the Science and Philosophy Initiative research group (UK) William J. M. Fleming; associate collaborator of the RAS Institute of Philosophy, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Vitaly Pronskikh; a leading researcher of BLTP JINR, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Evgeny Soloviev; PhD in Physics, Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (USA), Mauricio Garrido.

This Symposium has continued the series of international workshops and scientific-practical conferences held in Dubna since 1990. The first two conferences were organized by JINR, the RAS Institute of Philosophy, and the Moscow Theological Academy with active participation and support of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation. In different years, the event was attended by well-known JINR scientists: A. Sissakian, V. Pervushin, Ya. Smorodinsky, P. Isaev, and others.