Where Does Consciousness Come From?

Humans are aware of their surroundings as well as of themselves. Their minds are buzzing with inner dialogue and questions about who people are and what people want to do with their lives. As far as humans know, people are the only creatures with this level of active consciousness. People also don't know where this consciousness came from.

People's brains, of course, are their bodies' central computers, controlling biological functions and assisting them in thinking their way through all of life's loops and hurdles. Brain scans reveal just how active the brains are, flickering with constant activity as 100 billion nerve cells fire incessantly, like a compact yet enormously complex digital network.

However, the brain is not the same as the mind. Electrical activity does not explain how a physical substance can produce a non-physical state such as consciousness. Some religions view consciousness as a gift from God, implanted in people's bodies to guide them through life.

Scientists lean more toward biological origins, viewing consciousness as a collection of biological processes that progress toward more complex thinking, culminating in self-awareness. Scientists have determined that animals, such as dogs, almost certainly have consciousness, but at a lower (or different) level than humans. It is definitely one of the questions about the universe that people can't answer.