How do you explain the existence of self-awareness?

Question

I know I'm going to get a lot of fluffy answers to this one, but I will appreciate most those who give this one serious thought.

If you want to use a scientific model I will be most interested in how you explain the apparent need of self-awareness to (usually) form coherent thought-structures (ie personality).

If you want to use a religious model, I will be most interested in how your explanation produces a personality.

Thanks in advance for your efforts.

lol and I am ticklish too =8-}

Answer 1

I think you first need to outline your opinion of what constitutes self-awareness better. Every animal on the planet is self-aware to some degree or another.

-When an animal is hungry, it searches for food.
-Many animals create stable living environments for themselves.
-Many animals live in family units of extended families. (ie: packs, flocks, herds, or schools.)
-Virtually all animals communicate (in some form or another) with others in their species.

The evolution of every animal species indicates a minimum level of self-awareness, and the ability to better their lives visa-vi migration, dietary adaptations, or seasonal body modifications.

Self-awareness is a survival instinct. If you ask any zoologist, I think they would tell you that what we percieve as self-awareness is not exclusive to the human animal. I think you will also find that science more closely associates self-awareness with more social animals.

Herd animals have social standings within their herds, as do pack animals. This phenomenon has long been known, and is exactly the same as the social instincts in humans. The only real difference between humans and the animal kingdom as a whole is that we have evolved beyond mere instinct to become a more social animal.

That does not mean we are any more self-aware, only that our species has evolved beyond other animals as social creatures. It is only our own folly and arrogance that leads us to believe that we alone are blessed with self-awareness.

-SD-

Answer 2

Mind strives to identify things around it for reasons of functioning within a certain environment, and therefore explores and identifies things within the parameters of his/her understanding and ability. Eventually, at a point in our human development (I'm not going to drag everyone through a Child Development course) we begin to explore this body we're in, and designate labels to the various parts, and then how these parts are different from others, thus differentiating between a "self" and "others". It's dualistic, and in the East things are different in philosophy, but that's my opinion on the Western version.

_()_

Answer 3

Self-awareness is done to try and differentiate ourselves in a way to stand out as the best example of our species. Mankind is not the fastest and strongest of the species, so we go for mental aptitude. This results in people behaving in patterns to try and attract mating potential. Nearly every action that is performed is done for the purpose of impressing the opposite sex on a basic level.

Answer 4

Have you never watch a child the first time he caught his own foot, finally caught his other hand, finally hit his mouth with his thumb?
Didn't you ever watch a child who was learning to move his arm or leg with some sort of control?
Isn't that becoming self-aware?
Yes, I think it is.

Answer 5

Google Cooley's "Looking Glass Self", we develop self-awareness when we become sensitive to the reactions of others due to our (+/-) behavior.

Answer 6

If you work on a windows/Mac com system it'll be aware when you plug in a printer, so you can use it. Why not use your apparatus to ask intelligently?

Answer 7

God breathed into man the breath of life. He created man with eternity in the heart. God made man for fellowship.

In order to have fellowship with another being, you must first know that you are a being.

Answer 8

I am going to leave the explaining to the more scientifically minded
and tickle you with my fluffy feather while we wait

* tickle tickle *

Answer 9

Other people can see it in you. You cannot see it in yourself. The moment you think you see it in yourself, you've lost it.

Answer 10

I don't, i just live it