The ancestral roots of the human mindbrain can be traced back to stardust after the big bang. In the beginning the stardust was made of simple chemicals. These interacted to form macro molecules which interacted to form single celled organisms which interacted to form various kinds of many celled organisms which had widely distributed nervous systems which enabled sensitivity to the external environment.
Further development led to the evolution of central nervous systems and of ‘heads’ with the major sense organs being at the front of the animal. The process is called cephalisation.
Once cephalisation evolved as a ‘fit’ way of being sensitive to both internal and external environments, there was no stopping it. There was massive tinkering by natural selection. But the slate was never wiped clean. My modern mindbrain includes bits that first appeared in the reptiles while other bits evolved in mammals and yet other bits first appeared in ancient primates.
Me and my pals are the inheritors of millions of years of natural selection of our minds, bodies and social groups. Simple stardust was shaped by evolution to grow a pre-frontal cortex and to make us self conscious with an ability to remember the past and to plan for the future.
And the process of change shows no sign of slowing down. There are increasing numbers of people who have the will and energy to be aware of and awake to what goes on in their heads. And, amongst other things, they become conscious of the non reality of ‘self consciousness’.
There is the possibility of taking charge of our further evolution. Since the beginnings of agriculture we have shaped the course of evolution of many plants and animals – think of the range of types of dogs, cats and pigeons. Are we now clever enough and wise enough to be getting ahead with the evolutionary process?
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