What is it about?
Consciousness is the most important asset we have. Without it, there is not much to live for. It defines our lives as humans and decides whether we are happy or miserable. In this article, I offer a model as to why and when evolution devised this feature.
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Why is it important?
Various lines of evidence suggests that the capacity for awareness evolved some 300 million years ago in the amniotes – the ancestors of reptiles, birds, and mammals. Since then, the feature has been refined, thus we humans presumably have a luxury edition. The need for consciousness came when evolution introduced feelings, in the form of reward or punishment dished out by the brain, as a strategy to make decisions. Feelings are the key element of happiness.
Perspectives
By understanding what consciousness is about we are in a position to have an impact on its content. That is, we are in a position to reduce unnecessary sorrows and pain and enhance the positive experiences life has to offer. In short, it helps us to be happy. See https://grinde.one/ for more on happiness.
Bjørn Grinde
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Evolution of Consciousness, January 2016, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-43685-2.
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