Our conscious experiences often shape our lives with positive joy. Feel the sunlight on your skin, listen to the birds singing, and embrace the moment. However, we also encounter pain. I recently fell down the stairs and my knee is hurting; I often find myself feeling pessimistic and in distress. Why have we, as living beings, evolved cognitive abilities that encompass not just pain and suffering, but also positive experiences? Dr. Albert Nguyen from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Dr. Carlos Montemayor from San Francisco State University suggest distinguishing three fundamental phenomena of phenomenal consciousness: basic arousal, general arousal, and reflexive (self-)consciousness.
Scholars believe that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe. Image credit: NASA / ESA / JPL-Caltech / STScI / Sci.News.
“From an evolutionary standpoint, basic arousal was the first to develop, providing the fundamental ability to place the body in a state of alert in life-threatening situations, enabling organisms to survive,” Dr. Nguyen stated.
“Pain serves as a highly effective means of detecting bodily harm and the related threat to life.”
“This often triggers survival mechanisms such as fleeing or freezing.”
The subsequent evolutionary stage is the emergence of general attention.
This allows you to concentrate on a single item even when overwhelmed with information.
For example, if we see smoke while someone is speaking to us, our focus shifts entirely to the smoke in search of its source.
“This enables us to learn about new correlations. Initially, it establishes a basic causal relationship: smoke comes from a fire and indicates its location,” Dr. Montemayor remarked.
“Furthermore, targeted attention allows us to discern complex scientific relationships.”
Humans, along with certain animals, then develop reflexive (self-)consciousness.
This capability allows for a nuanced reflection not only on ourselves but also on our past and future.
We can create a self-image and incorporate it into our actions and plans.
“Reflexive consciousness, in its fundamental form, developed alongside the two primary forms of consciousness,” Dr. Nguyen explained.
“In such instances, conscious experience is less about perceiving the surroundings and more about consciously acknowledging aspects of oneself.”
“This encompasses not just the state of your body, but also your perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and actions.”
“A simple example would be recognizing oneself in a mirror, which is a form of reflexive consciousness.”
“Children begin to develop this ability by 18 months, and some animals such as chimpanzees, dolphins, and magpies have demonstrated this as well.”
“The core function of reflexive conscious experience enhances our ability to integrate into society and collaborate with others.”
The team’s paper will be published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
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Albert Nieuwen and Carlos Montemayor. 2025. Three types of phenomenal consciousness and their functional roles: Development of the ALARM theory of consciousness. fill. transformer. R.Soc.B 380 (1939): 20240314; doi: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0314
Source: www.sci.news
