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In 1929 Szilard pointed out that the physics of the observer may play a rolein the analysis of experiments. The same year, Bohr pointed out thatcomplementarity appears to arise naturally in psychology where both the objectsof perception and the perceiving subject belong to 'our mental content'. Herewe argue that the formalism of quantum theory can be derived from two relatedintuitive principles: (i) inference is a physical process performed by physicalsystems, observers, which are part of the experimental setup---this impliesnon-commutativity and imaginary-time quantum mechanics; (ii) experiments mustbe described from a first-person perspective---this leads to self-reference,complementarity, and real-time quantum dynamics. This approach sheds new lighton the foundations of quantum theory and suggests fundamental equations inphysics are typically of second order due to the physical nature of theobserver. It also suggests some experimental conjectures: (i) the quantum ofaction could be understood as the result of the additional energy required totransition from unconscious to conscious perception; (ii) humans can observe asingle photon of visible light; (iii) self-aware systems and the neuralcorrelates of the self should be composed of two complementary sub-systems,much like the DNA molecule is composed of two strands---this may help explainthe double-hemisphere architecture of the brain. Moreover, this approach mayhelp bridge the gap between science and human experience. We discuss thepotential implications of these ideas for the modern research programs onconsciousness and contemplative science. As side results: (i) we show thatmessage-passing algorithms and stochastic processes can be written in aquantum-like manner; (ii) we provide evidence that non-stoquasticity, a quantumcomputational resource, may be related to non-equilibrium phenomena.

Modeling observers as physical systems representing the world from within: Quantum theory as a physical and self-referential theory of inference