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It is certainly amazing to consider how little control our “I-function” really has and therefore how little control that we feel we have.  The I-function is only one contributing factor to the whole of my being.  However, while I do share the concern that my actions may not be the products of my free will, I must also recognize that I could not have the functional autonomy that I do have, as limited as it may really be, without the heteronomous input from the rest of my body.  If all the inputs that I received had to be filtered through and processed by my I-function/consciousness I don’t imagine I would be able to efficiently and rapidly make conscious decisions.

Anyway, what I am interested in learning now is how and why this I-function developed.  We have learned that the cortex is implicated in consciousness, but from where did this arise?  What were the environmental pressures that lead to the development of consciousness?  The motor cortex is not necessary for movement, but allows for the fractioning, localization and coordination of movements.  This seems to be a reasonable solution to an environmental pressure for more advanced movements, but what sort of pressures could have been in place that resulted in the development of recognition of “self?”  The I-function is responsible for our incredibly complex social network, so could then the I-function be a development in response to a demand for more advanced social organization?  Further, an article I made mention of in a post a while back mentioned how the area of the cortex associated with self-consciousness shuts off in times of increased stress – for example when running from a predator, in which case instinct serves as a better tool for survival than stopping to ruminate over one’s relation to a lion that’s about to eat him.  So if instinct provides such an advantage in these situations, what situations favor self-consciousness?