Professor Maria Strømme Proposes Consciousness as the Foundation of the Universe
A New Theory That Places Consciousness Before Time, Space and Matter
Maria Strømme, a Professor of Materials Science at Uppsala University, has introduced a new model suggesting that consciousness is fundamental, while time, space and matter emerge thereafter. Her article in AIP Advances was selected as the best of the issue and awarded the cover feature.
Strømme, usually known for her work in nanotechnology, takes an extraordinary step from the tiniest scales to the vast expanse of the cosmos—proposing a completely new theory for the universe's origin. In her paper, consciousness is not treated as a mere product of neural activity but as a fundamental field that gives rise to everything we perceive: matter, space, time and even life.
Is This a Brand-New Explanation of How Reality is Formed?
"Yes, you might say that. More importantly, it is a theory in which consciousness is primary, while-time, space and matter emerge afterwards. It is an ambitious attempt to explain how the reality we experience truly operates. Physicists such as Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg and Planck explored similar concepts, and my work builds on several of the paths they opened," Strømme explains.
Uniting Quantum Physics With Philosophy
Strømme has spent many years developing a quantum-mechanical framework that bridges quantum physics with non-dual philosophy. The model proposes that consciousness is the fundamental fabric of reality, with individual minds forming parts of a wider, interconnected field. Within this structure, phenomena often deemed "mysterious"—such as telepathy or near-death experiences—become understandable as natural expressions of a shared consciousness.
"My goal has been to articulate this using the language of physics and rigorous mathematics. Are these events truly mystical, or is there a discovery still awaiting us—one capable of triggering a paradigm shift?" she asks.
Similar transformations in our understanding of reality have occurred throughout history—such as the moment we learned that Earth is spherical, not flat, or when it became clear that Earth orbits the sun rather than the other way round.
A New Picture of the Nature of Reality
Strømme believes this work may mark the start of an entirely new way of understanding the universe and the lives we imagine ourselves to the living. Her article sets out several testable predictions across physics, neuroscience and cosmology, taking her far beyond her conventional field of materials science.
Her theory also proposes that personal consciousness does not end with physical death, but instead returns to the universal field from which it first emerged—an idea she formulates using quantum-mechanical principles.
"As a materials scientist and engineer, I have always viewed matter as fundamental. Yet in this model, matter becomes secondary; much of what we perceive is merely representation—or even illusion," Strømme explains.
A Theory That Reconciles Science With Ancient Knowledge
Although the article is framed entirely in the mathematical language of physics, its arguments echo themes found in many of the world's religious and philosophical traditions.
"The sacred texts of major faiths—The Qur'an, The Bible and The Vedas—frequently refer to a unified consciousness. Their authors used metaphor to convey insights about reality. Early quantum theorists, meanwhile, reached similar conclusions through scientific inquiry. It is now time for rigorous modern science to examine these ideas in earnest," Strømme says.
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