Evolution of human self-consciousness

According to Gerald Edelman, human self-consciousness has evolved by enabling the brain to make models of reality, not only of external reality but also of the psychological state of the individual. The mind is not a mechanistic, computer-like instrument but a living system of incredible complexity, an "ecological habitat", which grows and develops with use.

Already in the womb, neuronal groups are built up in the embryo brain, a linking together of brain cells working in harmony with each other in what might be referred to as "maps". These innate maps form biases or "values" depending on the evolution of the species in general and immediate ancestors in particular. It is these "values" which allow an understanding of the boundaries between different phenomena and the arousal of a "feeling" or "bias" towards one phenomenon rather than another so that, for example, there may be preference for light rather than darkness, warmth rather than coldness.

Throughout one's life, the brain selectively employs perceptions arising from the senses to compare with models and mappings already present, building on those which are most strongly present, thus strengthening the groups with experience, reinforcing what is already there to make unique and personal models of the self and its surroundings. Each of the senses will have numbers of neuronal groups responding to different aspects of that sense, for example the shape, colour or movement of something which is perceived by the sense of sight. These groups interact, continually comparing and revising until the external image is understood in the light of previous experience. Thus one's perception of a phenomenon is never the same twice, although the current perception is based on all one's previous perceptions.

This complex process, unique in each individual, suggests that teaching and learning are more effective if built on familiarity and a trial-and-error method so that each person develops his or her own manner of acquiring particular skills and aptitudes. It also explains some mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, as a failure in the individual's brain maps which may be reinforced by, but which is probably not caused by, his or her background or surroundings.

Human development may be seen in this context as imaginative use of language, for example, in building up metaphors and models connecting phenomena in ways that logically seem unexpected or bizarre. The dynamic metaphorical models produced by the mind enable the individual to free him or herself from external constraints and to plan and effect real changes in the environment, to build a unique future. It is this awareness of past, present and future and of one's own part in shaping it, the awareness of the self in its environment, that is the essence of humanity and that which makes the human being totally different from even the most complex machine that could be devised. Unlike mechanistic and behaviouristic models, this theory of human development envisages a true appreciation of "human" values and the presence in the mind of each individual of a totally unique [soul]

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