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A Consciência Como Fruto da Evolução e do Funcionamento do Sistema Nervoso

Percepts, individuality, language, ideas, meaning, culture, choice, morals and ethics, all exist as a result of brain evolution and functioning. Concerns that assumptions of consciousness as a biological process will lead people to abandon moral and ethic behaviour are not attained. Investigation of consciousness as a natural, not mystical, phenomenon increases our possibility to understand it, with scientific, theoretical and social gains, in addition to moral and ethic ones. This paper discusses how evolution by natural selection, and the biological nervous system organization allow to explain individuality, intentionality, simbolic representations and meaning. Phenomena observed in neurologic patients emphasize the concept of modular organization of the nervous system; consciousness is not seen as a exclusive property of a single module but rather as a result of the synchronized work of different modules.

Consciousness; Nervous system; Memory; Brain disorders; Perception


Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 1721 - Bloco A, sala 202, Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira, 05508-900 São Paulo SP - Brazil - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revpsico@usp.br