ABSTRACT
I have always finished my books by offering a summary of major points appearing in the book and suggesting areas for further thought. This chapter is no different. It does so by drawing together Consciousness and the Evo-Devo of the Self. It considers how consciousness first appeared in early humans and how it appears developmentally in very young humans. We consider the enormous evolutionary advantages that consciousness provides its possessors. Being able to reflect on the wider world, on the individuals that make up the smaller and larger groups of which we are members, and to foretell the future in generalities if not specifics make for a complex and gratifying existence. These abilities, however, also exact a great price from us. The knowledge of the existence of a future carries with it the knowledge of death, the loss of the people and things that we love. Ultimately, we come to know of the inevitability of our own eventual death. Dealing with this new knowledge can bring out the best or the worst in us.
