The Evolution of Consciousness: Implications for Mental Health and Quality of Life

256 Pages·2016·6.565 MB·English

by  Bjørn Grinde (auth.)

Bjørn Grinde
The
Evolution of
Consciousness
Implications for Mental Health and
Quality of Life
The Evolution of Consciousness
ø
Bj rn Grinde
The Evolution
of Consciousness
Implications for Mental Health
and Quality of Life
123
Bjørn Grinde
Division of Mental andPhysical Health
NorwegianInstitute of Public Health
Oslo
Norway
Thisbookis atranslated andenhanced edition inEnglish language:
The Evolution of Consciousness: Implications for Mental Health and Quality of Life
byBjørn Grinde
Thebookwas originallypublished in Norwegianlanguage:
Bevissthet.ForståhjernenogfåetbedrelivbyBjørnGrinde,©2014Spartacusforlag.All
Rights Reserved.
Thistranslation has beenpublished with thefinancial support ofNORLA.
ISBN978-3-319-43683-8 ISBN978-3-319-43685-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43685-2
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016947203
©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016
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Acknowledgments
IwouldliketothankmyNorwegianpublisher,SpartacusForlag,forallowingmeto
freely pursue atextinEnglishrelated toabookIpublishedwiththem.Ialso wish
to thank Hendrikje Tuerlings in Springerfor believing in the project.Some people
deserve special thanks for taking time to do a critical reading of various versions
of the text. They include Dagfinn Føllesdal, Lowan Stewart, Michel Cabanac, and
my son Steinar Grinde.
v
Contents
1 A Conscious Life... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
Why consciousness is a topic that should occupy the mind of
conscious people. Key concepts are introduced and the phenomenon
briefly described.
Conscious and Unconscious Processes .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
Should We Aim for Reason or Happiness?. .... .... .... ..... .... 10
2 The Brain—Your Personal Necktop Computer ... .... ..... .... 19
The chapter provides an introduction for those who are unfamiliar
with the inside of their head. I find it helpful to compare brains with
computers.
The Anatomy of the Most Complex Object .... .... .... ..... .... 19
Neuron Style Talking .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 23
The Concept of Brain Modules.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 29
Brain Versus Computer... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 36
3 The Evolution of Nervous Systems.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
The process of evolution gives us the principles required to make
senseoflifeonEarth.Thedevelopmentofnervecellswasoneofthe
biggestbreakthroughs;yet,inthebeginningnothingsuggestedwhere
this innovation would lead.
Why Nervous Systems? .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 44
Further Improvements.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 48
On Bees and Octopuses .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 53
What Is Intelligent Behaviour? .. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 59
4 Conscious Brains... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
Thefirstsignsofconsciousnessprobablyappearedsome300million
years ago. It was a risky venture, so why did evolution choose this
path?Surprisingly,refinementseventuallygaverisetoaspecieswith
the capacity to answer the question.
A Common Currency .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
vii
viii Contents
Hence Consciousness .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 68
When Did It All Start? ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 75
Signs of Consciousness in Animals... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 79
When Is It Needed? . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 87
Has It Been a Success?... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 90
How We Became What We Are. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 92
The Human Case.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 96
I Think, Therefore I Am? . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 100
5 The Neurobiological Correlate. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 105
Scientists struggle to understand how nerve cells create conscious
experiences, but we have a model. The model suggests which parts
of the brain are involved and what goes on there.
Cortex and Thalamus .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 106
Integrated Information.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 117
What We Can Do Without ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 119
We Learn When Something Goes Wrong.. .... .... .... ..... .... 126
The Bigger the Better? ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 132
The Hardest Problem. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 134
6 States and Disorders of Consciousness... .... .... .... ..... .... 139
There are many facets to a conscious life. Besides the gradual
transition from full attention to sleep and anaesthesia, several factors
affect what sort of experiences the brain serves you.
Sleep. .... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 140
Anaesthesia.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 146
Life History.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 148
Maladies Affecting the Mind.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 151
Wilfully Altered States ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 156
7 Quality of Life. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 159
Understanding consciousness offers valuable insight into what
happiness is about. The text consequently provides an approach for
improving life.
Hedonia and Eudaimonia . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 159
The Mood Modules.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 162
On or Off . .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 172
Mental Disorders.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 176
Darwinian Happiness. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 177
8 Environmental Concerns. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 181
The brain is designed to develop in interaction with external stimuli,
whichmeansweareshapedbytheenvironmentinwhichwelive.The
question is therefore how to provide conditions that have a positive
effect on the human mind?
Childhood and Life Situation ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 182
Contents ix
The Damage Due to Discords... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 188
The Achilles Heel... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 193
9 Mental Exercise.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 199
In addition to creating a suitable environment, it is possible to
exercise the brain to the effect of tuning up pleasures and turning
off pains. This requires a proper training routine.
Use Your Head. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 199
The Psychological Challenge ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 204
Meditative Techniques ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 212
Technical Tools. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 217
Habits—For Good and Bad..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 223
A Model of the Mind .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 230
10 In the Future.. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 233
How can we exploit our knowledge of the human brain
in order to further improve quality of life?
The Main Challenge . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 233
Next Generation Gym.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 238
A Final Word .. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 245
About the Author
Bjørn Grinde received his education in natural
sciences, psychology, and anthropology from the
University of Oslo, ending with a Dr. Scient.
(1981) and a Dr. Philos. (1984) in biology. He is
presently the chief scientist at the Division of Mental
and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public
Health. Previously, he has served as a scientist and
professor at leading universities in Norway, the USA,
andJapan.Aprimaryfocusofhisresearchhasbeento
understand the process of evolution, particularly how
it has formed the human brain and our capacity to
enjoy life. He has written several books, including
Darwinian Happiness (The Darwin Press, 2002; 2nd Edition, 2012); God—A
Scientific Update (The Darwin Press, 2011); The Biology of Happiness (Springer
Verlag,2012);andImprovingtheHumanZoo(TheDarwinPress,2015).Together
with Professor David Sloan Wilson at Binghamton University, NY, he is engaged
in research aimed at practical ways to improve people’s quality of life.
xi
Introduction
With this book, I shall present a model for how the evolutionary process led to
consciousness,aswellaswhatisknownabouthowthebrainaccomplishesthisfeat.
Besidesofferingadescriptionofwhathumanlifeisabout,thetextismeanttohelp
people deal with their brains. That is, you can sway the brain in the direction of
offering more positive experiences and thereby improve your quality of life.
Chapter 1 presents the human brain and discusses why we ought to study this
product of evolution. Chapter 2 describes the anatomy of the brain and how nerve
cells(orneurons)operate.Itisusefultohaveatleastsomeknowledgeofthisorgan
and to master the relevant terminology; but if you should find the chapter heavy
reading, it is possible to grasp the more important aspects of later chapters even
withlimitedknowledgeofthebrain.InChapter3,Idescribeevolutionaryhistory—
more specifically, the history of the nervous system. It started some 600 million
yearsagoandledtosomefantasticproducts,themostinterestingbeingbrainswith
the capacity for awareness. As suggested in Chapter 4, this innovation occurred
only once on Earth. The human version of a nervous system is arguably the most
advanced product ever created by the process of evolution.
I occasionally use expressions such as “evolution desires” or “the genes want
youto.”Ishouldwarnthatthesearejustconvenientshorthandforsayingsomething
aboutwhatsortoftendenciesareembeddedinthegenes—Idonotsuggestthatthe
process of evolution, or the genes, has any willpower.
Aftertryingtodescribeascenarioforwhyevolutionendedupwithaconscious
human brain, I discuss how this piece of tissue generates awareness (Chapter 5).
“How the water of the brain is turned into the wine of consciousness.” Identifying
theneurobiologicalcorrelateofconsciousnessimpliesindicatingwhichpartsofthe
brain are involved and what sort of activity is required.
In the following Chapter 6, I discussthe various forms of experiences thebrain
is capable of offering. Consciousness is not one particular condition, but an
adventure that takes many forms. Besides, the brain regularly decides to turn it, or
rather you, off.
Theinsightyouwillhopefullyhaveacquiredbystudyingthesefirstsixchapters
providesthebasisfortakingstepstoimprovelife—tomakeithappier.InChapter7,
xiii