Premium
Why consciousness? A causal account
Author(s) -
Fivaz Roland
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/1099-1743(200011/12)17:6<561::aid-sres351>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - consciousness , feeling , action (physics) , perception , psychology , cognitive science , cognitive psychology , epistemology , electromagnetic theories of consciousness , social psychology , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience
Causes and consequences of consciousness are investigated by morphodynamics. According to this theory, consciousness originates in neurophysiology and results in the capacity of organisms to conciliate internal needs and external constraints; thus, consciousness preserves welfare and survival in changing environments. The global dynamics obeys principles of evolution that implement trial‐and‐error methods as a universal problem‐solving strategy. Thereby, perceptions are converted into adaptive actions through the intermediary of symbolic representations stored in genetic material and memory. These representations consist of norms, and discrepancies with respect to norms are perceived as feelings: feelings initiate corrective action and reform norms if corrections fail. In human beings, high‐level consciousness arises from interactions by language and it implements moral values shifting as civilizations develop. The irreversible version of the theory indicates that the performance of consciousness depends on the urgency of needs and the difficulty of tasks. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.