The question of the origin of human consciousness has always been the subject of lively discussions. Recently, Denyce O’leary, working on the book “The Human Soul: that Neuronauka shows us about the brain, mind and the difference between them”, said that allegations of the “evolution” of human consciousness are not supported by convincing evidence.
In her opinion, human consciousness includes a unique ability to abstract thinking, logic, use of language, mathematics, and many others, which are characterized by human actions.
However, the biologist P. Z. Myers disagrees with this opinion. He believes that the human mind is the product of the Darwin “staircase” of evolution. According to him, all changes in human biology occurred thanks to random genetic mutations and natural selection.
An interesting point in this discussion concerns the research of patients who underwent surgery to separate the cerebral hemispheres. This operation, in which the body is cut with collose, connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, is carried out in patients with severe epilepsy attacks.
Studies have shown that even after such an operation, patients are able to integrate information from both hemispheres, despite their surgical separation.
Yair Pinto from the University of Amsterdam called this ability to integrate information regardless of the brain a “unified conscious agent with a divided perception.” This raises doubts about the claim that the human ability to integrate information could “evolve” thanks to the material Darwin mechanisms.
Thus, the debate on the origin and evolution of human consciousness continues, and it seems that the last word in this discussion has not yet been said.