Consciousness facilitates model-based planning, but is that really why consciousness evolved?
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x25103026 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe authors argue that the temporal profile of consciousness—the timing of conscious experience—is an underused constraint for evaluating theories of consciousness. They propose that the exact timing matters for the evolutionary hypothesis, and they present a rival hypothesis: in aquatic environments, consciousness already functioned to represent distal objects, with a time delay to consciousness in the 100–200 millisecond range.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The temporal profile of consciousness is an under-exploited constraint on theories of consciousness, and a rival evolutionary hypothesis suggests that in aquatic environments consciousness had the function of representing distal objects with a 100–200ms time delay. |
Abstract
Abstract The authors make a timely argument that the temporal profile of consciousness is an under-exploited constraint on theories of consciousness. However, the exact timing matters for the evolutionary hypothesis. A rival hypothesis is that in aquatic environments, it already had the function of representing distal objects, with a time-delay to consciousness in the 100–200ms range.