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by POP Fan on December 1st, 2009

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When did consciousness come in through the evolutionary process, and why?

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  • by 773491 on December 2nd, 2009

    773491

    Consciousness most likely arose as a by-product. It wasn't really selected for by evolution, yet there was a selection for ever growing computing power by the brain. At some part, the tasks get so complex that something, our brain, has the sensation of 'consciousness'.

    The brain works like a parallel-processor. Many neuron circuits fire, lots of things are being computed and going on at the same time. Only a small part of it is actually 'conscious', the rest happens subconsciously. In the background, we have memes competing for 'attention' of the conscious part of the brain.

    Another important aspect of it is social relations. The need for complex brains in evolution was due to our social nature. Social group relations produce arms-races in manipulating, cheating, cooperating and smart decisions. Those individuals who managed to cooperate succesfully and detect cheaters and get a high reputation were rewarded with benefits: They got to eat first and have sex with the most attractive partners. Empathy, the ability to recognie other's feelings, is essential for an understanding of the social relations in a group and using that knowledge can advance one's status in the group.

    Empathy is caused by so called 'mirror-neurons', they mirror what others feel, so you kinda feel the same feeling as other people when you recognize their feelings (on a meta-level that is, you're often still aware that you feel this way because they do, so not your own 'true' feelings). It has been suggested that those empathy circuits play an important role in consciousness too.

    The Philosopher Daniel Dennett explains consciousness as following (paraphrased): The same way how water molcules produce 'wetness', neurons produce 'consciousness'.

    Comments

    • If only we could unlock how consciousness works.

      POP Fan

      by POP Fan on December 2nd, 2009

    • Yes it's still somewhat a mystery. But science is making progress and we know much more about the brain than we used to.

      773491

      by 773491 on December 2nd, 2009

    • I guess that's what makes science exciting, there's always more to know.

      POP Fan

      by POP Fan on December 3rd, 2009

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