Archaeology of Human Consciousness: An Integrated Narrative of Cognitive Evolution from the Preanthromorphic Mind to Humanity’s Contemporary, Academia-Centric Culture

Abstract

A comprehensive model of the human intellect’s evolution is presented, ranging from the origins of higher cognition to 21st century academic culture. It begins by delving into the composition of the pre-human mind, treating complications in deriving an all-encompassing theory of life’s comparative phenomenology, and then providing outlines of such a theory to the extent which seems possible at our current stage of knowledge. Parameters in the evolution of communication and language are set out along with the way these factors converged to produce the linguistic properties of human thought and behavior. These insights are combined in a phenomenology of the anatomically modern human psyche, coupled with a narrative of humanity’s evolution from prehistoric lifestyles to civilization of the historical period. This is followed by a description of the evolution of Western discourse away from essentialist illusions and towards a more versatile perspectivism.