The Evolution of Consciousness. Before we can begin to consider the evolution of consciousness, we have to ask when consciousness first arose.
Are human beings alone conscious, or are other creatures also conscious? Is an animal such as a dog, for example, conscious? Dogs may not be aware of many of the things we are aware of. They are not conscious of much beyond their immediate world, the world defined by the span of their senses. They know nothing of lands beyond the oceans, or the space beyond the earth. Dogs experience the world of their senses. Where dogs differ from us is not in their capacity for consciousness but in what they are conscious of. A useful analogy for understanding the nature of consciousness is that of a painting. The pictures that are painted on the canvas of consciousness take many forms.
Are All Creatures Conscious? If dogs have the faculty of consciousness, then by the same argument so must cats, horses, deer, dolphins, whales, and other mammals. Where do we draw the line? Self-consciousness. Consciousness and Evolution (from Evolutionary Theory Conference Summary), Esalen Center for Theory & Research. Why Did Consciousness Evolve, and How Can We Modify It? Update 5/24/11: The conversation continues in Part II here.
I recently gave a talk at the Directors Guild of America as part of a panel on the “Science of Cyborgs” sponsored by the Science Entertainment Exchange. It was a fun time, and our moderators, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant from the HowStuffWorks podcast, emceed the evening with just the right measure of humor and cultural insight. In my twelve minutes, I shared a theory of how consciousness evolved. My point was that if we understand the evolutionary basis of consciousness, maybe this will help us envision new ways our consciousness might evolve further in the future. That could be fun in terms of dreaming up new stories.
This idea is so simple that I’m surprised I’ve not yet been able to find it already in circulation. The idea is this: back in our watery days as fish, we lived in a medium that was inherently unfriendly to seeing things very far away. So what does this have to do with consciousness? Menstruation is just blood and tissue you ended up not using. I love science, and I love the scientific method.
I think that the scientific method is one of the most useful ways of knowing out there. I have devoted my life not only to the study of the science of human evolution and female reproductive physiology, but to increasing science appreciation and literacy in the general public. So why am I always criticizing it? Two reasons. First, the process of science can be biased by who performs it. Second, the results and implications of scientific research can be biased by who tells it. To demonstrate this, I’m going to tell you a little story about a menstruating nurse.
Dr. So, rather than consider the possibility that the nurse was offended that her skills and expertise were being put to use to put someone else’s flowers in water, Dr. An image of the menotoxin flowers experiment. The flowers that were not handled thrived, while the flowers that were handled by a menstruating woman wilted.
This story begins far before Dr. So back to those menotoxins. Top Ten Myths About the Brain.