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July 17, 2013
Children acquire it at about age three. We are the only animals to do so. There
are names for it - - theory of mind and intentionality - - but I'll just call it
self-awareness. We are usually unaware of self-awareness until it's implicated
in our survival.
Self-awareness is a two-level process. Our close relatives, chimps, make it to
the first level. They are aware of their own minds and can recognize themselves
in a mirror; a level that infants acquire at two. But chimps never make it to
the next level of being aware of other minds. If they did, they would be writing
newspaper columns and readers would be imagining the mind of writer. They would
even be imagining what fictional characters like Garfield the cat or Kami the
trout might think.
It's not surprising to discover that we are self-aware but Dr. Ajit Varki takes
it a step further in his book, Denial: Self-Deception, False Beliefs, and the
Origins of the Human Mind.
What is the evolutionary advantage of such a thing? If self-awareness is so
great, why haven't other smart animals like crows, dolphins, elephants and apes
acquired it?
Well, by itself, there is no evolutionary advantage says Dr. Varki. In fact,
it's a real downer.
Self-awareness leads to the grim conclusion that we are doomed. Once I become
aware that others exist, I become acutely aware of my own mortality. Though the
minds of others, I feel their death as a personal experience. The paralyzing
prospect of death leads to depression, hopelessness, and despair. What's the
point of going on?
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So, there must be some other acquired trait that amends for the bad effects
of self-awareness. That quality is denial. Denial of death and risk allows
us to blithely go about our daily business without the dark cloud of
depression hanging over our heads. Denial of our mortality allows us to
perform deeds both heroic and foolhardy.
Firefighters charge into burning buildings to save people. Leaders take
risks and succeed. People build houses on floodplains regardless of the
likelihood of flooding. Fools take off from hills in hang gliders with
little training (as I did, breaking both arms). Fools and heroes are only
determined in retrospect.
Depression is a more realistic view of our lives with self-awareness says
Dr. Varki. When the gloss of denial is removed, the pitfalls and existential
angst of the human condition become apparent. Denial of risk and death can
be seen for what is - - a global delusion.
But the combination of self-awareness and denial are a powerful duo. Arts
and technology flourish. Society benefits through the risk-taking of
individuals in enterprise and endeavour.
Self-awareness and the ability to imagine what others are thinking
encourages the development of complex architectural, military, and
technological projects to be undertaken that couldn't be done without
massive organization and the determination of unified mind-set.
Climate-change deniers, however, are in a separate class. Flooded homes and
broken bones affect individuals but climate change is global and forever - -
at least as far as our species is concerned.
On small scale failures, we can learn from our mistakes. However, the global
experiment of climate change can't be re-run. The outcome could be the
demise of our species, which, of course, I refuse to believe.
David Charbonneau is the owner of Thompson Studio
He can be reached at
dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca
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