Rise of the New Age Consciousness

In chapter two of Before The Dawn, Wade discusses the three major genetic steps in the process of morphing the chimp like ancestors into modern humans. The emergence of bipedalism, which is the ideology of transforming from walking on all fours with our bare knuckles to only using our legs, and the beginnings of a large brain were the first two major steps in this evolutionary process. The third consisted of physical and behavioral changes relating to the modern human (Wade 20). In terms of the large brain, Wade neglected to mention the birth of consciousness and the social impact it had on their small community. The birth of consciousness was one of the main evolutionary processes that effected both social interaction and the environment around them.

In an article written by John C. Eccles through the National Academy of Science, he proposes that the evolutionary process of thinking was derived from the fact that the evolving cerebral cortex was the key driver to the “new consciousness” (Eccles 7322). Wade’s argument about nutrition and diet being the reason for a larger brain in primates holds true with Eccles argument as well since Dendrons need a strong amount of glucose and oxygen. Dendrons can be regarded as the main ingredient for the cerebral cortex’s functional design in most mammals, including humans (Eccles 7322). An example of this process can be found in the Homo Ergasters new evolutionary thinking process. A sudden shift from a sex oriented hierarchy derived from gorillas and chimpanzees to a more harmonious living proves the evolvement of a higher consciousness. In addition, Ergasters began to protect their offspring and the mother, which indicates a thinking process geared toward the future. The birth of consciousness not only affected the individual primates on a survival level, but on a social level as well (Wade 22).

In another article written by R.I.M. Dunbar through the Annual Review of Anthropology, he discusses a hypothesis by Byrne and Whiten suggesting that the complexity of primate’s social skills rather than their survival skills impacted their brain evolution (Dunbar 164). Wade argues that higher social primates probably encountered no problem more challenging than those of the other members of society. Therefore, the likely reason for a greater brain size would be an increase in social complexity (Wade 19).

In the end, the evolution of the conscious mind was a critical procedure that pushed primates to evolve into modern humans because of both social complexity and the need to survive. It is hard to say which one had more of an impact on this birth or consciousness, but either way it was a crucial evolution that is still prevalent today.



R. I. M. Dunbar ,The Social Brain: Mind, Language, and Society in Evolutionary Perspective
Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 32, (2003), pp. 163-181
Published by: Annual Reviews

John C. Eccles ,Evolution of Consciousness
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 89, No. 16 (A... more
Published by: National Academy of Sciences

Wade, N. (2006). Before the Dawn: recovering the lost history of our ancestors
New York: Penguin Press