Consciousness as side effect is an idea that’s been bouncing around my brain for quite a spell. Specifically, since 1970 and an Anthropology course I took, “Beginnings of Mankind”. I recall having wrote in my notebook: “Mankind is a self-conscious animal, therefore – kind of like a kind man.” Something like that.
Can we talk about that?
The Side Effect as Driver
is a concept, I think, that is behind evolution as well as much of human technological progress. It’s also known as the “Happy Accident“. And yes, I know that idea flies in the face of Intelligent Design and/or God’s plan. Additionally, any philosophy that puts meaning and purpose to what happens or happened. Can we set that aside?
The side effect as driver is fundamentally the theory of Natural Selection. In other words – random mutations are happy accidents that give a living thing an advantage over other like live things in the same space. That advantage leads the one thing to dominate the other thing that didn’t mutate. Eventually, the Other thing moves on. In other words, it migrates. Or dies out, becomes extinct. Because of finite resources. A resource being that which is necessary for survival.
Consciousness As Side Effect
was such a happy accident. My theory, or story, goes like this. Consciousness became a real thing because it facilitated mankind’s ability to kill from a distance. All other animal predators must kill by hand-to-hand combat, or tooth and claw. They have to chase down or surprise their prey (food), or hostile enemy. It’s harsh, tough, vicious, and so on. Killing from a distance? Nicer. Kinder, one could say.
The Mutation
The mutation that happened was in one, or perhaps many, individual primate’s brain that facilitated their ability to do Calculus.* I call it The Tom Brady Effect.
Tom Brady is generally considered the greatest of NFL quarterbacks’ because of his incredible accuracy when throwing a football to his fast moving target. It’s now called – “dropping a dime“. Caitlin Clark, in the WNBA, also has that special ability.*
The target moves! Can you hit it? That is, I think, an ability that is so advantageous to survival. To be able to hit your target is essential to survival. What is your target?
Conclusion
What is your target? Happiness? Survival? Death with dignity? Wealth? How are you doing? How’s your ability to “drop a dime”? To hit your target?
PS
‘Drop a dime’ used to be called ‘throw a strike’; ‘nailed it’. ‘Boom’ , ‘mic drop’; etc. and so on. I am almost over it.
Some things change, yes and, and others don’t. Until they do. Is it … ?
Consciousness? Is it a blessing or curse? A side effect?
Comments welcomed.
- Change? do we embrace it or resist it? Another blog post. But wait! I’ve a chapter in my first novel, Attachment, titled “Change”.
- There is a whole other blog post here about why do humans copy one another with regard to sport commentary. It drives me nuts. Then again, it could just be natural selection working the way it does. Adapt, or perish. Survival of the fittest. Yet another topic for a post. One thing leads to another …