"Picture a possum foraging for food somewhere out in the bush under the cover of night. Somewhere nearby, fledgling birds chirp from an unguarded nest. For the possum, this is an opportunity made audible: protein, calories, survival. But opportunities come with risks. While the possum investigates, it could itself become prey. A dingo might emerge from the shadows. A powerful owl might swoop down in silence. A single moment of distraction could end its life."
"Now place yourself in the possum's "shoes." Do you hide, or do you try to find food in exposed areas? Where do you go to forage? How much time do you spend in one area? These decisions are far from simple. And they are not rare edge cases, either. Every moment, animals face difficult trade-offs. They are the daily texture of life. How do animals solve these problems?"
Consciousness originated around 540 million years ago as animal bodies became more complex. Consciousness evolved to manage pervasive, pathological complexity trade-offs that animals face continuously, such as balancing foraging opportunities against predation risk. Feelings like pleasure and pain function as a common currency to compare diverse options and guide action when decisions affect survival and reproduction. Simple reflexes and isolated mechanisms are insufficient for these moment-to-moment evaluations. Conscious states enable integrated assessment of costs and benefits, reducing the risk of catastrophic mistakes that threaten fitness.
Read at Psychology Today
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