In my view, consciousness and morality are both a side-effect of evolution, based on problem solving.<br /><br />Hypothetically, consciousness may start in a very small way when an animal starts <i> reasoning </i> rather than acting on instinct. It can be considered conscious whenever it is <i> thinking, </i> rather than just reacting.<br /><br />Imagine early primates using primitive tools (like we see bonobo apes or chimpanzees using probes for termite mounds or other tools). Some anthropologists suggest that an animal may be ever so slightly conscious of itself for the duration it uses a tool. Most of the time the animal is just acting on instinct, but it has a moment of a dim glimmer of consciousness whilst using tools, learning from other animals how to use tools, and maybe, one day it accidently breaks or damages the tool in a way that actually works better. If it <i> realises </i> this, improves the tool, it has another glimmer of consciousness. The animal started thinking, sporadically, in a very limited way.<br /><br />Then there is the idea of thinking of other animals in a way that allows you to predict their behaviour, rather than simply reacting to each other on instinct. This is when hunting becomes easier, if you can predict the actions of prey rather than just chase it.<br /><br />Or the idea of cooperating with fellow animals in order to get food. Maybe, at all these times, the animals think on a basic level. But the rest of the time they are not thinking, just reacting by instinct.<br /><br />There may have come a time then, when early humanoids living in a pack, or tribe, may start thinking about the other humanoids, in order to gain an advantage either through bettering them somehow, or using them to help in a mutual way.<br /><br />And all the time, the little conscious snippets of consciousness, of reasoning, of thinking about others, were getting bigger and closer together. This gave them such a tremendous advantage for getting food and dealing with their <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000">_______________________________________________<br /></font><font size="2"><em>SpeedFreek</em></font> </p> </div>