Performances of self-awareness used to explain the evolutionary advantages of consciousness (TSC 2004)
Abstract
The question about evolution of consciousness has been addressed so far as possible selectional advantage related to consciousness ("What evolutionary advantages, if any, being conscious might confer on an organism ? "). But evidencing an adaptative explanation of consciousness has proven to be very difficult. Reason for that being the complexity of consciousness. We take here a different approach on subject by looking at possible selectional advantages related to the performance of Self Awareness that appeared during evolution millions of years before consciousness as we know it for humans. The interest of such an approach is that the analysis of selectional advantage is done at an evolution step sigificantly simpler that the step of Human Consciousness. We analyse how evolutionary advantages have resulted from this specific Self Awareness step. This is done by taking into consideration the possibility for a subject to identify with a conspecific at this level of evolution. We use the results made available by Mirror Neuron researchs where intersubjectivity and some level of identification with conspecifics have been evidenced for non human primates. Selectional advantages related to Self Awareness are analysed two ways: - Reformulating the performances of imitation and of development of language. - Showing that Self Awareness within group life can naturaly produce an important increase in fear/anxiety for a subject, and that the means implemented by the subject to overcome this fear/anxiety can act as significant evolution advantages opening the road to Human Consciousness. Such approach brings new elements supporting the view that consciousness is grounded in emotions. It also proposes some more evolutionist explanations to the widely dicussed subject of Empathy (S. Preston & F. de Waal) in terms of specific behaviour implemented to limit fear/anxiety increase. This approach also provides some explanation for limited anxiety within dolphins and introduces a basis for a possible phylogenesis of emotions.Author's Profile
Reprint years
2004
My notes
Similar books and articles
Consciousness and awareness - switched-on rheostats: A response to de Quincey.Robert Arp - 2007 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 14 (3):101-106.
Evolution and mirror neurons. An introduction to the nature of self-consciousness (TSC 2005).Christophe Menant -
Evolutionary advantages of inter-subjectivity and self-consciousness through improvements of action programs (TSC 2010).Christophe Menant - manuscript
Evolution of representations and intersubjectivity as sources of the self. An introduction to the nature of self-consciousness (ASSC10 2006).Christophe Menant - manuscript
Evolution of representations. From basic life to self-representation and self-consciousness (2006).Christophe Menant - manuscript
Proposal for a shared evolutionary nature of language and consciousness (Saint Petersburg 2010).Christophe Menant - manuscript
Experience, awareness, and consciousness: Suggestions for definitions as offered by an evolutionary approach. [REVIEW]Mario Vaneechoutte - 2000 - Foundations of Science 5 (4):429-456.
Analytics
Added to PP
2009-01-28
Downloads
191 (#67,908)
6 months
17 (#62,129)
2009-01-28
Downloads
191 (#67,908)
6 months
17 (#62,129)
Historical graph of downloads