Human Consciousness: Where Is It From and What Is It for

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Consciousness is traditionally viewed as a brain process.
• Existing theories struggle to explain consciousness's subjective and objective features.
• The evolutionary advantage and disadvantage of consciousness remain debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel theory of human consciousness.
• To define consciousness as a behavior rather than a brain process.
• To explain the emergence and characteristics of consciousness from an evolutionary perspective.

Main Methods:

• Behavioral analysis of communication, play, and tool use.
• Comparative study across species (mammals, birds, cephalopods).
• Theoretical framework integrating symbolic systems and anticipatory behavioral control.

Main Results:

• Human consciousness emerges from the unique human combination of communication, play, and tool use.
• This interaction creates symbolic systems enabling "playing forward" behavioral options in a "second reality".
• The theory is anti-reductionist, avoids epiphenomenalism, and explains features like objectivity and agency.

Conclusions:

• Consciousness is a natural, biological phenomenon rooted in behavior.
• The proposed theory provides an evolutionary framework for understanding consciousness.
• It offers explanations for core conscious properties and their adaptive significance.