Is consciousness an act of God, an epiphenomenon of the brain, or an evolutionary accident?

Answer 1

It depends on how you define consciousness, really. And whether you're looking at God as the Christian God or a divine entity in general.

Considering mammals (and reptiles, and birds) are conscious, I would have to say it's an act of evolution. The ability to think to get further in life.

But if you're asking in relation to Christianity, well, Christianity believes consciousness is granted by the soul, and animals don't have souls, therefore cannot be conscious.

So at that point, you have to decide for yourself.

Answer 2

Why not all of the three dippending on your perspective?

You answer has only what you bring into it.

Say it is God and all you brought was faith.

Say it was an epiphenomenon of the brain and all you brought was science.

Say it was an evolutionary accident and all you brought was chaos theory.

At any rate, you don't deny consciousness exists, you just want to find out who to give the credit to for it's existence so why not give it to all three?

Faith gives you a will to use your consciousness; science gives a means to use your consciousness, and chaos theory gives you a structure by which to explain your consciousness.

Think about it. The question is not where does consciousness come from, but; where is it going; what are you doing with it?

Personally, I am using it to answer your question, to communicate, Does that make me God, an epiphenomenon of your brain, or an evolutionary accident? You decide.

My answer is all of the above.

Answer 3

evolution doesn't proceed by randomness. Epiphenomenon is reductionist and doesn't make sense. Perception is what it is, to reduce it to conditions in reality can get old fast. Without biological desires there is no vision, no things as such, what matters for the sensory-motor organism depends on its niche and world. The particular way it hooks up with the brain... which is only there because we can see it, is like a light switch. So of course there's SOME relationship, even though we don't know how. It would be asinine to assume if we replicated the way our Brain works -- with biological desire, attentional vision, coping in a world-- that there wouldn't be consciousness. I don't really care what we call that relationship as long as it's representative, and again it doesn't even really matter to cognitive science.

Answer 4

Evolution - We developed intelligence for better survival and it is through that intelligence we developed consciousness.

Looking at other animals, it seems like quite a few of the 'higher' creatures are also self aware.

Answer 5

First, the consiousness can stay without a suggestions so it´s no longer an ephipenomenon of the suggestions. Then unfastened will exist and it´s a impressive present for us. And there´s additionally a modern-day 2nd. surely it´s extra actual that the long previous previous and the non modern-day destiny. And existence it´s no longer a simulation of all attainable outcomes. of direction you start to think of that as quickly as you initiate asking your self it you have unfastened will. as quickly as you place your will outdoors of you, nicely there could desire to be a puppeteer someplace which builds the universe-time-line outcomes. yet interior the top you´ll see its you. So, initiate taking sturdy judgements.

Answer 6

evolution and a feature of brain. Im studying psychology and very interested in neuro medicine, so it has nothing to do with god for me. As for epiphenomenon.. it might look this way too, but i dont think that all animals are absolutely unconciousness now.

Answer 7

It seems to me that consciousness is just the lens with which our species interprets the universe. So why hold it out to be any more important than any other part of ourselves.

Answer 8

I don't think that this question can actually be answered with any certainty; only opinion, which is like an ***hole, everyone has one. Mine is that it is evolutionary

Answer 9

too hard to answer. It's either evolution or the other; epiphenomenon. Not god anyway.

Answer 10

I don't disagree with Evolution at all.