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The Beginnings of Consciousness
Consciousness is a naturally emergent process. It emerges from the associations
between the elements of nature. So to understand consciousness we must
understand the associations of natural systems. There is no better place to
start than to recognize that nature is extremely intelligent and supremely
efficient at maximizing opportunities for survival. Traits, such as
consciousness, get advanced by nature precisely because of, and only to the
extent doing so increases survival. Now a precise definition of the word "consciousness" is hard to pin down. The word most often used as a synonym for the word consciousness is the word "awareness." However, these two words are not equivalent. To be aware is somehow more basic than to be conscious. Someone might consider a thermostat aware of room temperature, but few would say a thermostat is conscious of anything.........
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