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The "measurement problem" of quantum mechanics, and the "hard problem" ofcognitive science are the most profound open problems of the two researchfields, and certainly among the deepest of all unsettled conundrums incontemporary science in general. Occasionally, scientists from both fields havesuggested some sort of interconnectedness of the two problems. Here we revisitthe main motives behind such expectations and try to put them on more formalgrounds. We argue not only that such a relation exists, but that it also bearsstrong implications both for the interpretations of quantum mechanics and forour understanding of consciousness. The paper consists of three parts. In thefirst part, we formulate a "no-go-theorem" stating that a brain, functioningsolely on the principles of classical physics, cannot have any greater abilityto induce subjective experience than a process of writing (printing) a certainsequence of digits. The goal is to show, with an attempt to mathematical rigor,why the physicalist standpoint based on classical physics is not likely to everexplain the phenomenon of consciousness -- justifying the tendency to lookbeyond the physics of the 19th century. In the second part, we aim to establisha clear relation, with a sort of correspondence mapping, between attitudestowards the hard problem and interpretations of quantum mechanics. Then wediscuss these connections in the light of the no-go theorem, pointing out thatthe existence of subjective experience might differentiate between otherwiseexperimentally indistinguishable interpretations. Finally, the third part is anattempt to illustrate how quantum mechanics could take us closer to thesolution of the hard problem and break the constraints set by the no-gotheorem.

The hard problem and the measurement problem: a no-go theorem and potential consequences