J.Konstapel, Leiden, 16-1-2026.
Alternative Scenarios of the Future: From Technological Merging to Biological Resonance and Sovereign Consciousness
The dominant narratives in futurism — from the Millennium Project’s Work/Technology 2050 scenarios to mainstream transhumanist visions — emphasize a trajectory of technological augmentation and merging. In these models, humanity integrates with artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), and artificial superintelligence (ASI) through a “continuum of consciousness and technology.” This is portrayed as a symbiotic evolution: augmented labor, conscious-technology fields, personal connection services, VR-educational tourism, and hybrid minds where humans and machines phase-lock into shared oscillatory layers. Privacy and sovereignty are safeguarded (in optimistic variants) via “Augment Movements” (unions and tech entrepreneurs), but risks include coherence collapse from excessive entrainment or elite capture.
These scenarios assume consciousness is computationally emergent or upgradable — solvable via more compute, neural interfaces, or digital replication. They align with broader 2050 projections: fusion energy, Mars colonization, and AGI-driven prosperity. Yet they often overlook the “Hard Problem of Consciousness” (qualia, subjective experience) and the philosophical impasse of uploading or replicating a “self-contained experience” without creating separate streams.
A growing fringe — yet increasingly credible — alternative rejects this path entirely. It posits that consciousness is not a byproduct of neural computation or silicon simulation, but a fundamental interface with the Zero-Point Field (ZPF), the omnipresent quantum vacuum fluctuations inherent in the universe. This paradigm, extrapolated in the 2026 speculative document as the “Resonante Wending” (Resonant Turning), foresees a radical break from technological materialism between 2026 and 2076. Humanity abandons AI integration and neural links, which disrupt natural resonant coupling, in favor of biological refinement and sovereign coherence.
The Core Scientific Foundation: TRAZE and ZPF Resonance
At the heart of this alternative lies Joachim Keppler’s TRAZE theory (Theory of Resonant Amplification of Zero-point Modes), a QED-based model developed in papers from 2024–2025 (e.g., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2024 & 2025). TRAZE proposes that conscious states emerge from the brain’s resonant coupling with the ZPF — not as a generator of awareness, but as a local tuner/filter.
Key mechanisms include:
- Glutamate (the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter) in cortical microcolumns acts as the main antenna for ZPF modes (~7.8 THz dominant frequency).
- Resonant glutamate-ZPF interaction triggers phase transitions, forming macroscopic quantum coherence domains (~30 μm diameter) where glutamate molecules enter superposition.
- This shifts frequencies to the microwave range, generating an intracolumnar microwave field (ICMF) that synchronizes neural firing and regulates self-organized criticality (SOC) — a hallmark of conscious brain dynamics.
- The ZPF is dual-aspect: physically extrinsic (quantum fluctuations) and phenomenally intrinsic (inherently sentient substrate holding the spectrum of qualia as normal modes).
Recent coverage (Phys.org and Popular Mechanics, December 2025–January 2026) highlights this as a solution to the “warm/wet brain” decoherence problem: coherence domains are stabilized by energy gaps, enabling macroscopic quantum effects despite thermal noise. Experimental proposals include disrupting glutamate-ZPF coupling to abolish SOC and consciousness, offering testable predictions.
This echoes Philip K. Dick’s VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System) — a non-local, living information field perturbing reality via resonance and gnosis, not mechanical fusion. Dick’s “pink beam” experiences (1974) and Exegesis portray consciousness as activation of pre-existent cosmic awareness, bound to biological continuity — no replicable uploads, as copies create separate streams.
The Resonante Wending Scenario (2026–2076): A Biological Sovereign Civilization
The document extrapolates TRAZE into a civilizational shift:
- 2026–2035 (Grote Wending): Rejection of synthetic intelligence due to simulation ≠ experience; stoppage of neural links; validation of ZPF/TRAZE (2029–2032).
- Core Shift: Biology as resonant geometry (DNA as tuning fork); disease as phase-incoherence; healing via harmonic restoration. Extended Einstein equation incorporates information-harmony (H): E=0.5H(A,L)⋅m⋅c2 Optimal H=0.5 yields perfect coherence, extended lifespan, and cognitive expansion without tech.
- Continuum of Consciousness: Internal navigation of mental/emotional/perceptual spectra via Recursive Consciousness Mathematics (toroidal self-loops, Metafysische Nul as origin).
- Coherence Governance: Triadische Kernel (Compassie as amplifier, Dankbaarheid as stabilizer, Vertrouwen as propagator) replaces bureaucratic coercion. Social resonance: Resonantie=P(S(A(toestand))) Indices (Polycrisis_Index, Mission2050_Index) monitor ethical/systemic coherence; phase-locking rituals restore harmony.
- Self-Actualization Economy: Work as unique resonant expression in collective field; prosperity without growth; Creative Placemaking Hubs for philosophy, art, relationships.
- 2060–2076 (Volledige Soevereiniteit): Field Sovereignty laws protect neural integrity; intentionality as fundamental force modulates quantum states; planetary coherence via Resilient Polycentric Regions and Living Peace Ecology.
This vision culminates in a panpsychic collapse — unity of mind/matter — where humanity becomes cosmic composers of reality via shared intention, guided by “24 Precepts of Universal Mind.”
Why This Alternative Matters — And Why It’s Not Alone
Mainstream futurism misses substrate nuance: consciousness as emergent compute allows merging, but TRAZE/ZPF models make it inherent, non-local, and biologically tuned. Fusion risks dissonance (coherence collapse); sovereignty demands protection from entrainment (cosmic or tech).
Momentum exists: Keppler’s papers (Frontiers 2024–2025) gain traction; X discussions (2025–2026) link ZPF resonance to planetary coherence, trust as scalar, and Web3 sovereignty against centralized entrainment. Fringe-transhumanism explores coherence habitats, but pure biological paths (echoing VALIS gnosis) offer a counter-narrative: true freedom in refining the original vehicle, not escaping it.
In 2026, this feels prescient — a prescient warning and blueprint. The choice: merge into hybrid machines, or resonate deeper into the living field? The coming decades may validate which path leads to sovereignty — or collapse.
The Complete Work of Joachim Keppler: From Stochastic Electrodynamics to the TRAZE Theory of Consciousness
Joachim Keppler, a physicist with a PhD in theoretical particle physics and quantum field theory from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen, has emerged as one of the most systematic contemporary thinkers attempting to bridge quantum physics and the science of consciousness. Over more than a decade, his research has evolved from foundational conceptual frameworks into a detailed, empirically testable theory that positions the electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) — the quantum vacuum of stochastic electrodynamics (SED) and quantum electrodynamics (QED) — as the ontological substrate of phenomenal consciousness.
Keppler’s overarching project rejects both strict physicalist emergentism (consciousness as a byproduct of complex neural computation) and dualism. Instead, he advances a field-theoretical, panpsychist-inspired model in which consciousness is inherent in the universe’s vacuum state, and individual phenomenal experiences arise through resonant interactions between biological systems (especially the brain) and this omnipresent field.
Early Foundations (2012–2016): Establishing the Vacuum as the Substrate of Consciousness
Keppler’s work begins with his 2012 paper “A Conceptual Framework for Consciousness Based on a Deep Understanding of Matter” (Philosophy Study), where he draws on stochastic electrodynamics (SED) — a semi-classical approach to quantum phenomena that derives quantization from classical systems immersed in a real, fluctuating zero-point radiation field (building on ideas from Timothy Boyer, Luis de la Peña, Ana María Cetto, and others). In SED, the vacuum is not empty but a vibrant “ocean” of electromagnetic energy at all frequencies.
Keppler hypothesizes that the full spectrum of phenomenal qualities (qualia) is encoded in the normal modes of this ZPF. The brain functions as a resonant filter or “tuner,” selectively amplifying specific ZPF modes to produce localized, coherent information states corresponding to subjective experience. This addresses the hard problem by making consciousness ontologically primitive yet physically grounded.
By 2013, in “A New Perspective on the Functioning of the Brain and the Mechanisms Behind Conscious Processes”, Keppler interprets neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) — such as gamma-band synchronization and long-range coherence — as manifestations of stochastic resonance and attractor formation in systems coupled to the ZPF. Conscious processes differ from unconscious ones precisely because they involve this resonant modulation, creating macroscopic quantum-like coherence.
This theme deepens in 2016’s “On the Universal Mechanism Underlying Conscious Systems and the Foundations for a Theory of Consciousness” (Open Journal of Philosophy), where he outlines a universal mechanism: any system capable of forming stable, long-range coherent states through ZPF interaction crosses the threshold into phenomenal awareness.
Mid-Period Developments (2018–2021): Refining Neural-ZPF Coupling and Cosmopsychism
From 2018 onward, Keppler’s papers in Frontiers journals become more neurophysiologically detailed. In “The Role of the Brain in Conscious Processes: A New Way of Looking at the Neural Correlates of Consciousness” (Frontiers in Psychology, 2018), he reframes NCC not as generators of consciousness but as indicators of brain-ZPF resonant coupling.
The 2020 paper “The Common Basis of Memory and Consciousness” (Frontiers in Psychology) extends the model: the brain acts as a “write-read head” for the ZPF. Memory traces are stable modulations of the field, and retrieval involves re-resonating those patterns — explaining why declarative memory is tightly linked to phenomenal awareness.
Keppler collaborates with philosopher Itay Shani in 2020’s “Cosmopsychism and Consciousness Research” and related works, proposing a scientifically informed cosmopsychism: ordinary consciousness emerges from an all-pervading cosmic consciousness (the ZPF vacuum), avoiding the combination problem through dynamical resonant selection rather than mere aggregation.
In 2021’s “Building Blocks for the Development of a Self-Consistent Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness” (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) and the book chapter “Brain and Mind: How Neural Networks Acquire Phenomenal Awareness by Tapping into a Ubiquitous Field of Consciousness”, Keppler compiles core building blocks: the ZPF as sentient substrate, resonant amplification of normal modes for qualia, and macroscopic coherence via phase transitions.
Recent Culmination (2023–2025): Critical Dynamics, Macroscopic Quantum Effects, and the TRAZE Theory
Keppler’s most mature synthesis appears in 2023–2025 publications. He emphasizes self-organized criticality (SOC), phase transitions, and neuronal avalanches as hallmarks of conscious brain states (empirically well-supported by Freeman, Beggs, Plenz, and others). In “Laying the Foundations for a Theory of Consciousness: The Significance of Critical Brain Dynamics for the Formation of Conscious States” (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2024), he links these to QED: critical dynamics emerge from resonant glutamate-ZPF interactions in cortical microcolumns.
Glutamate pools in synapses enable coherent coupling to specific ZPF modes. Amplification of targeted zero-point fluctuations produces the synchronized, long-range patterns characteristic of consciousness.
This leads to the acronym TRAZE (introduced prominently in the 2024 paper and elaborated in 2025): Theory of Resonant Amplification of Zero-point modes for the Emergence of phenomenal states.
In “Macroscopic Quantum Effects in the Brain: New Insights into the Fundamental Principle Underlying Conscious Processes” (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2025), Keppler describes how brain-ZPF resonance triggers coherence domains and macroscopic quantum coherence at biological scales, explaining phase transitions without decoherence issues plaguing other quantum mind theories (e.g., Orch-OR). The ZPF provides a non-local, stable background that sustains coherence.
Recent conference papers and preprints (e.g., 2025 works on field-theoretical cortical models) refine testable predictions: disrupting glutamate-ZPF resonance (via targeted interventions) should eliminate specific phenomenal percepts while preserving unconscious processing — offering experimental pathways forward.
Keppler also extends implications to artificial consciousness (2023 AIxPAC proceedings), arguing sentient AI requires hardware capable of analogous resonant ZPF coupling.
Overall Significance and Open Questions
Keppler’s corpus forms one of the most internally consistent, progressively built field-theoretical approaches to consciousness today. It integrates:
- SED/QED vacuum physics
- Empirical NCC/SOC data
- Cosmopsychist metaphysics
- Testable mechanisms (glutamate-ZPF resonance, photon emissions from modulated ZPF)
Strengths include avoiding epiphenomenalism, providing demarcation criteria for conscious systems, and offering novel explanations for altered states, memory, and the binding problem.
Critiques might note reliance on SED (still minority view in physics), challenges in directly measuring ZPF modulations, and the need for more direct empirical validation of TRAZE predictions.
Nevertheless, Keppler’s trajectory — from conceptual groundwork in 2012 to the formalized TRAZE model by 2025 — represents a bold, scientifically rigorous attempt to naturalize phenomenal consciousness by revealing the quantum vacuum as its hidden protagonist.
His work invites interdisciplinary dialogue, potentially reshaping how we view the relationship between matter, mind, and the cosmos. As research continues, TRAZE could prove pivotal in resolving one of humanity’s deepest mysteries.