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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
06:34
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Co-evolution of human consciousness and language
1Computer Science Department and USC Brain Project, University of Southern California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90089-2520, USA. arbib@pollux.usc.edu; http://www-hbp.usc.edu
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|May 15, 2001
Summary
Human consciousness may share animal awareness but is unique due to language. This theory proposes consciousness arises from brain activity related to human communication and language evolution, possibly stemming from gestural communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Cajal's early work distinguished consciousness from reflex action.
- Human consciousness may share roots with animal awareness.
- Language is a key differentiator of human consciousness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a theory for the evolution of human consciousness.
- To integrate language evolution with consciousness development.
- To explore the neurological basis of human self-awareness.
Main Methods:
- Recalling Cajal's foundational concepts on brain function.
- Developing a theoretical framework for consciousness.
- Proposing a new model for language evolution based on primate communication.
Main Results:
- Consciousness is theorized as a brain-formed précis of intended activity in humans.
- Human language is proposed to have evolved from gestural communication via the mirror system.
- This framework links the evolution of language directly to the emergence of unique human consciousness.
Conclusions:
- Human consciousness is distinct due to language.
- The evolution of language, potentially from gestural origins, is central to human self-awareness.
- A précis of intended activity in the brain forms the basis of consciousness.
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