Consciousness: A Glimpse into the Origins of Free Will

Why are we the way we are? This question has captivated scientist, philosophers, and researchers for centuries. Evolution offers a hint into how the Homo Sapiens evolved to be the humans we call ourselves today. As there is no singular answer to why we are the way we are - there is no singular moment in time where humans found themselves transformed from an ancient microbe to Homo Sapiens. Evolution has been essential to our survival but just as essential has been our ability to make and choose our very own decisions. To have free will, we must have consciousness. But what is consciousness and why did we develop it? Consciousness is what allows us to be aware of our surroundings and our inner state. We can perceive predator from prey, past from future, visualize images and express ideas through language. The Homo Sapiens have what is known as a ‘complex consciousness’. A consciousness where organisms can interpret what other organisms may be thinking, a consciousness with freedom of thought and a consciousness where we can manipulate words and ideas to communicate. However, to reach a complex consciousness we must first have a ‘basic consciousness’. This means millions of years of evolution to make small incremental changes. So how did it start? It started with the earliest organisms. Early organisms did not move towards food, food moved towards them. So, when the very first step was made it had a significant impact, quickly being reproduced, and passed onto offspring. The step was when organisms began to direct a mobile self towards food. To guide us through the steps of consciousness we are helped by the mighty planarians. These comma-shaped worms, growing up to 1 cm, could not only navigate their environments in search of food but also potentially direct themselves away from predators. When hungry, the worm moves towards food, and when sated, it rests in shelter, marking a significant step towards the birth of consciousness. The planarian could direct itself of its own free will. The planarians also have simple cerebral eyes. This means they could visualize their surroundings which adds context, depth, and a greater sense of space. The planarians also have chemoreceptors to smell their food. The evolutionary journey towards consciousness continues. The planarian could only hunt food if it could see it and smell it. This is where a brain and a nervous system became immensely useful. They possess one of the earliest forms of a brain, enabling them to not only remember food in its absence but also visualize it. Otherwise known as memory. Combining their sense of sight, smell, and memory creates a phenomenon known as object permanence. We can now jump a few steps in this journey towards consciousness. It could be stated that the planarian with object permanence also now has a very basic sense of time. They can peer into the past to remember their last meal and look towards the future to eat another meal just like it. The planarians have almost reached ‘complex consciousness’. Consciousness has evolved to keep the planarians sated and thriving. The planarian with the most food is the most likely to survive and therefore passes down its adept food eating genes to its offspring. In this case the adept food eating gene is the fundamental necessities of basic consciousness. With lots of working parts from the simple cerebral eyes to its ability to move, it’s all interlinked together by its brain and nervous system. With consciousness becoming one of the defined traits of animals today we can glimpse at how we became the way we are today. Whilst the mighty planarian may not be able to debate about ideologies of ancient philosophers it can choose when to go and eat and when to rest. It can choose to steer right or left – closer or further away from predators it may not know are lying in wait. The evolution of consciousness has happened over millions of years and is an attribute that made species survive. Otherwise, it would not have evolved nor would the genes that create consciousness be passed onto its offspring. Free will is an extension of consciousness and is therefore needed to survive.