What exactly is consciousness and where does it come from?

Consciousness has always been an argument that vanishes into thin air the more we delve deeper into it. The basic perception and understanding of consciousness come from the awareness of our existence. Still, the more we question why, the more complex and difficult this explanation can get, to such an extent, that not even expert scientists have been able to define consciousness in words. So what led to its evolution ? Let’s visualise.

The ultimate goal of any species we witness on a prehistoric (which is the period where consciousness probably evolved from) scale especially, is to produce more of one’s kind, which requires energy, which in turn comes from food. The desire to eat and consume is thus the most probable cause for consciousness, as well evolved from microorganisms.

Trichoplax adhaerens is a simple creature that haphazardly searches for its food, slowing down in its presence and speeding up in its absence. It has no way of locking on to a target and thus has no need to be conscious. The first sense leading towards consciousness is a sense of direction. Once the organism senses food, it moves in that direction and stops moving once it is satiated or loses the trail of it. This is just the first step towards consciousness, with the organism still having no concrete target.

The next and probably the biggest step towards consciousness is visual perception. What you are doing here, visualising, gives you a sense of awareness of your objectives. For a blind organism, it adds a whole new dimension to its senses. Still, consciousness is not complete, as the organism will stop the search for its food once it is out of sensory range.

Next comes an aid to visual perception, that is memory, that gives a sense of time to our organism, where past experiences influence future strategies. Along with this, a sense of the existence of things, even when they are not visible, enables our organism to be able to search for food(its ultimate goal) with focus, as well as making it able to anticipate the future. This makes delayed gratification possible, the ability to anticipate a greater reward in the future.

The next and last is communication. The ability to form complex plans, with a team of friends, at the same time, to spite a foe. Understanding one another makes this discussion on consciousness truly possible.