Transcending Evolution The Human Consciousness, or The Soul

The Human Consciousness, or The Soul In 1838 Charles Darwin wrote in his journal Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work worthy the interposition of a deity. More humble and I think truer to consider him created from animals. (Rachels, 1990) Daniel C. Dennett refers to Darwins theory of evolution as a universal acid, a theory so powerful it seeps through every traditional concept and leaves behind a revolutionized world-view, resulting not only in a fundamental shift in the way in which we perceive ourselves as human beings, but more importantly, in the death of God. (Dennett, 1996) The moral implications of evolution are devastating: to reduce man to a by-product of an algorithmic process is to say that man is nothing†¦show more content†¦(Mayr, 2001) Ernst Mayr, in his book What Evolution Is, argues that evolution of consciousness began in the Australopithecus species. These populations survived by using their intellect to invent successful defense mechanisms against predators for they were no longer capable of climbing up trees to escape being hunted. Subsequently, H. erectus inherited this need to rely on their inventiveness to cope with their defenseless position in the highly predatory environment. (Mayr, 2001) It is unknown how the basic necessity of self defense transformed itself into a highly developed intellect as seen in Homo sapiens today. The only thing that is known is that the H. sapiens species was better adapted to the environment than the other Homo subspecies since they are the surviving species. However if we are to believe that the basic necessity of self defense has the potential to develop into a highly complex intellect, then why is it that other species, such as deer and rabbits who are forced to rely on their wits to invent successful defense mechanisms, since they too can not climb up trees, do not develop a highly complex intellect? Mayr argues that it is the brain that makes us different from other animals, that it is the brain that makes us human. The brain contains 30 billion nerve cells, and while the electrophysiology of neurons is mostly understood,Show MoreRelatedYogas Spiritual Path Means to Join Essay882 Words   |  4 Pagesreading poems, devotionals. Raja yoga, sometimes called the Royal Yoga, is the yoga of meditation, of mental and psychic control. It directly deals with the encountering and transcending thoughts of the mind and highlights the benefits of meditation for spiritual self-realization and the positive evolution of consciousness. Meditation can be done in silence or to gentle music; it can also be done while gazing at a candle, at the moon, or at moving water. Hatha yoga is the exercise yoga. RefersRead MorePerennial Wisdom Healing Grace For Personal And Planetary Evolution1500 Words   |  6 PagesShamanism Today: Perennial Wisdom Healing Grace for Personal Planetary Evolution. By Oscar Miro-Quesada, M.A., Psy. ET. Today’s shaman leaves new footprints on paths of psychic awareness and spiritual wisdom that are over thirty thousand years old. Shamanism is a millennial tradition of healing, power and wisdom that sees all of life as interconnected and sacred. Material and spiritual worlds interpenetrate one another, and the shaman’s path lies in attaining a life of harmony with both.Read MoreEssay on Our Posthuman Future: The Philosophical Implications2960 Words   |  12 Pagesmachine being able to think and the possibility of an emerging post human future due to the hypothetical invention of AI has philosophical implications for the future of humanity. The intersection of strong and weak AI with human consciousness is also explored through the examples of IBM’s AI systems such as Watson and Deep Blue. Overall, the aim of this essay is to examine the philosophical implications of the emerging post human future. Before launching into the full-fledged discussion, it wouldRead MoreNursing Theory2082 Words   |  9 PagesCaring science encompasses a humanitarian, human science orientation to human caring processes, phenomena and experiences. Caring science includes arts and humanities as well as science. A caring science perspective is grounded in a relational ontology of being-in-relation, and a world view of unity and connectedness of All. Transpersonal Caring acknowledges unity of life and connections that move in concentric circles of caring – from individual, to others, to community, to world, to Planet EarthRead MoreWatson Caring Theory2331 Words   |  10 PagesWatsons Theory of Human Caring Aubrey Thomas NUR/403 February, 18th 2013 Stephanie Merck Watsons Theory of Human Caring A few weeks ago I was assigned to provide care for Mrs Tevez an 82yrs old female of Spanish origin who spoke very little English. Mrs.Tevez had a cervical fracture that resulted from a fall at home. Her admission to hospital was for immobilization with a cervical collar and bed rest pending possible surgery. She was considered a high risk patient because of the possibilityRead MoreThe Field Of Psychology : Carl Gustav Jung2353 Words   |  10 Pagesthese dreams was of him unearthing bones hidden deep within the Earth’s surface; while he took this to mean that he should study natural sciences, it could be that symbolically, he was peering into his future work of delving into the depths of the human unconscious. Jung, although 19 years his junior, developed a close relationship with Sigmund Freud, after reading the latter’s The Interpretation of Dreams, which Jung thought was a stroke of genius. The two corresponded through letters from manyRead MoreThe Question of Ideology in Amitav Ghoshs the Hungry Tide5019 Words   |  21 PagesChandra, Amitav Ghosh and the like, are writing in a postcolonial space using novel as a means of cultural representation. Their novels are generally assumed to be engaged in postcolonial consciousness but a close study of the thematic range proves that the novels also attempt to universalized humanistic gesture, for human nature and social relationships are as important as the interplay of power and national relationships. Twentieth century novelists were preoccupied with the historic past and the unabatedRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 PagesMany associate the word â€Å"Victorian† with images of over-dressed ladies and snooty gentle men gathered in reading rooms. The idea of â€Å"manners† does sum up the social climate of middle-class England in the nineteenth century. However, if there is one transcending aspect to Victorian England life and society, that aspect is change. Nearly every institution of society was affected by rapid and unforeseeable changes.  As some writers greeted them with fear and others embraced the progress, this essay will guideRead Moresecond sex Essay13771 Words   |  56 Pages1 Franchise, dead today. 2 To state the question is, to me, to suggest, at once, a preliminary answer. The fact that I ask it is in itself significant. A man would never get the notion of writing a book on the peculiar situation of the human male.2 But if I wish to define myself, I must first of all say: I am a woman; on this truth must be based all further discussion. A man never begins by presenting himself as an individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is a manRead MoreSocial Change6427 Words   |  26 PagesCHANGE - MEANING AND CHARACTERISTICS 1.21 The Meaning of Change Your elders might tell you that things were not easy during their time. This is so because every thing has become very easy now, due to telecommunications, internet, teqhnological evolution, etc. Im sure you might have experienced the luxury of booking tickets via the internet sitting comfortably at home which is Dynamics of Change very different from the traditional way of going to a counter, standing in a queue, and getting