“Consciousness evolved for homeostasis, not self-awareness.” – Antonio Damasio

 

Evolutionary psychology

Books

The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul: Learning and the Origins of Consciousness

• Authors: Simona Ginsburg & Eva Jablonka
• Perspective: Proposes consciousness evolved via unlimited associative learning (UAL) during the Cambrian explosion.

 

The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness

• Author: Antonio Damasio
•  

  Perspective: Links consciousness to evolutionary mechanisms for homeostasis and emotional regulation.

 

The Ancient Origins of Consciousness: How the Brain Created Experience

• Authors: Todd Feinberg & Jon Mallatt
•  

  Perspective: Argues consciousness emerged earlier in evolutionary history than commonly assumed.

 

Journal Articles

The Transition to Minimal Consciousness through the Evolution of Associative Learning

• Authors: Simona Ginsburg & Eva Jablonka
•  

  Perspective: Identifies UAL as an evolutionary marker for sentience.

 

The Attention Schema Theory: A Mechanistic Account of Subjective Awareness

• Authors: Michael Graziano & Sabine Kastner
•  

  Perspective: Proposes consciousness evolved as a model for attention control.

 

YouTube Videos

The Evolution of Consciousness ~ Professor Michael Graziano

• Channel: Evolution Soup
• Perspective: Discusses attention schema theory and evolutionary origins.

 

How Did Consciousness Evolve? – with Nicholas Humphrey

• Channel: The Royal Institution
• Perspective: Argues sentience evolved only in mammals/birds.

 

Podcasts & Debates

Did Consciousness Evolve? (ID The Future)

• Participants: Bernardo Kastrup (idealist) vs. Michael Egnor
• Perspective: Challenges materialist explanations of consciousness.

 

Critical/Alternative Perspectives

• Consciousness: An Introduction
  • Author: Susan Blackmore
  • Perspective: Explores epiphenomenalism (consciousness as non-functional byproduct).
  • Link: Summary
• Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness
  • Author: Nicholas Humphrey
  • Perspective: Questions widespread sentience in non-mammals (e.g., octopuses).
  • Link: Book
• Picturing the Mind: Consciousness Through the Lens of Evolution
  • Authors: Simona Ginsburg & Eva Jablonka
  • Perspective: Discusses debates on whether consciousness is an evolutionary “illusion.”
  • Link: MIT Press
• Involution: As A Function of the Divine
  • Authors: Ken Wilber
  • Perspective: Wilber proposes “involution” as the prior movement of Consciousness descending into form.
  • Link: YouTube
• Key Non-Evolutionary Arguments:
  • Limited Sentience (Humphrey): Rejects consciousness in most non-mammals.
  • Idealism (Kastrup): Consciousness as fundamental, not evolved.
  • Epiphenomenalism (Blackmore): Consciousness as a non-functional byproduct.

1. The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul – MIT Press https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262039307/the-evolution-of-the-sensitive-soul/
2. The Feeling Of What Happens – Antonio Damasio – Paperback https://www.harpercollins.ca/9780156010757/the-feeling-of-what-happens/
3. The attention schema theory: a mechanistic account of subjective … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4407481/
4. The Transition to Minimal Consciousness through the Evolution of … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5177968/
5. The Ancient Origins of Consciousness – MIT Press https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262534604/the-ancient-origins-of-consciousness/
6. ‘Picturing the mind’: These clever illustrations help us understand … https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/08/02/picturing-the-mind-these-clever-illustrations-help-us-understand-how-consciousness-evolved/
7. Review of Merlin Donald’s Origins of the Modern Mind and A Mind … https://www.trevorstone.org/school/donaldreview.html
8. The Evolution of Consciousness ~ PROFESSOR MICHAEL … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD_nGhUHmh8
9. Summary – Consciousness: An Introduction – Blackmore, Troscianko https://www.worldsupporter.org/en/summary/summary-consciousness-introduction-blackmore-troscianko-3rd-edition-70625
10. The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul: Learning and the Origins of … https://books.google.com/books?id=1FCMDwAAQBAJ&printsec=copyright
11. The Feeling of what Happens: Body and Emotion in … – Google Books https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Feeling_of_what_Happens.html?id=RSOPDHP9QekC
12. The ancient origins of consciousness : how the brain created … https://archive.org/details/ancientoriginsof0000fein
13. Picturing the Mind: Consciousness through the Lens of Evolution https://books.google.com/books/about/Picturing_the_Mind.html?id=LNOMEAAAQBAJ
14. How did consciousness evolve? – with Nicholas Humphrey – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QWaZp_2I1k
15. THE EVOLUTION OF THE SENSITIVE SOUL: LEARNING AND THE … https://schicksalgemeinschaft.wordpress.com/2022/11/02/the-evolution-of-the-sensitive-soul-learning-and-the-origins-of-consciousness-simona-ginsburg-eva-jablonka-2019/
16. Review of The Ancient Origins of Consciousness: How the Brain … https://leonardo.info/review/2017/04/review-of-the-ancient-origins-of-consciousness-how-the-brain-created-experience
17. Did Consciousness Evolve? – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ9lqauu1os
18. The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul: Learning and the Origins of … https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42068842-the-evolution-of-the-sensitive-soul
19. “Review of The Ancient Origins of Consciousness: How the Brain … https://www.susanblackmore.uk/reviews/review-of-the-ancient-origins-of-consciousness-how-the-brain-created-experience/
20. Final thoughts on The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul https://selfawarepatterns.com/2020/04/11/final-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-the-sensitive-soul/
21. Simona Ginsburg, The evolution of the sensitive soul – PhilPapers https://philpapers.org/rec/GINTEO-3
22. The Ancient Origins of Consciousness: How the Brain Created … https://www.amazon.com.br/Ancient-Origins-Consciousness-Created-Experience-ebook/dp/B08BT6Y2FS
23. The Ancient Origins of Consciousness: How the Brain Created … – jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1bkm52m
24. PODCAST – OUT NOW – CONSCIOUS EVOLUTION https://www.consciousevolution.co.uk/podcast
25. Conscious Evolution Podcast with Dr. Andrea Pennington – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvlDF238u2MDssN4uz-o7WlkpUzyj8wQL
26. Evolution Archives – The Consciousness Podcast https://theconsciousnesspodcast.com/category/evolution/
27. The Evolution of Consciousness – Rupert Sheldrake https://www.sheldrake.org/audios/evolution-of-consciousness
28. [PDF] CONSCIOUSNESS 2ND EDN BOOK.indb – Susan Blackmore http://www.susanblackmore.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/104875-CONSCIOUSNESS-web.pdf
29. The evolution of consciousness – Oxford Academic https://academic.oup.com/book/979/chapter/137839324
30. Summary ch 1-6 of Consciousness: an Introduction by Susan … https://www.studeersnel.nl/nl/document/universiteit-leiden/consciousness/summary-ch-1-6-of-consciousness-an-introduction-by-susan-blackmore/1286101
31. [PDF] Precis of Origins of the Modern Mind: Three Stages in the Evolution … https://lecturayescrituraunrn.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/donald-m-precis-of-origin-of-the-modern-mind.pdf
32. Tash and Exploring Consciousness, Evolution … – Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tash-and-exploring-consciousness-evolution-sovereignty/id1694599459?i=1000694032189&l=fr-CA
33. Evidence for consciousness-based evolution. – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IskEj6yJ64
34. It’s not all evolution: Denis Noble on how consciousness develops … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OhMmjlYvxU
35. Reality, Evolution, Consciousness | Donald Hoffman Λ Philip Goff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmaIBxkqcT4
36. What is Conscious Evolution? – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGONt5WTT1w
37. Conscious Evolution -— Groks Science Show … – Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/conscious-evolution-groks-science-show-2025-02-12/id73329471?i=1000691932943
38. What is Conscious Evolution? – Accidental Gods https://accidentalgods.life/what-is-conscious-evolution/
39. David Sloan Wilson – Conscious Evolution – Mind & Life Podcast https://podcast.mindandlife.org/david-sloan-wilson/
40. State of the Art – The Psychology of Consciousness https://www.susanblackmore.uk/articles/state-of-the-art-the-psychology-of-consciousness/
41. Susan Blackmore’s illusionism – SelfAwarePatterns https://selfawarepatterns.com/2022/05/29/susan-blackmores-illusionism/
42. Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction by Susan Blackmore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/254497.Consciousness
43. What Knowledge of Consciousness Says about Theories of … https://reducing-suffering.org/what-knowledge-of-consciousness-says-about-theories-of-consciousness/
44. [PDF] Consciousness – An Introduction (3rd Ed) – The /-\ pile https://pile.sdbs.cz/docs/Consciousness – An Introduction (3rd Ed).pdf