6 Self and the Phenomenon of Life
b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity “9x6”self to the conscious level and expresses it in the great varieties of animal
behavior. Chapters 8 to 11 cover some of the important functions of the
mind, and show how they are related to self — in the latter’s enhance-
ment, awareness, and expression. Consciousness (Chapter 8) polarizes
self from the rest of the world, and makes “I” stands out from a crowd.
Emotion (Chapter 9) provides the driving force for an animal to act for
the good of self. Memory (Chapter 10) provides a sense of continuity to
self (the biographical self) and shapes future actions according to past
experience. Free will (Chapter 11) strengthens the awareness of self by
giving it a sense of agency, and enables an animal to make appropriate
choices suitable for its own preservation.
In Chapter 12, I place self in a social context, and show how a group
of individuals, when interactive and properly coordinated, can be con-
sidered as an expanded self. The concept of “expanded self” explains
such enigmatic questions as the “goodness” and “badness” of human
nature, and why collective mutual destruction of mankind (war) never
ends.^6 In Chapters 13 and 14, I take a conceptual jump from the observ-
able (the subject matter of science) to the introspective and transcen-
dental (the subject matter of philosophy). This audacious leap may seem
illogical. However, once we realize that such deep human concerns as
life-and-death, existence-and-nothingness, as well as “meaning”, are all
extensions of the self’s craving for its own continuation, the gap may not
be as wide as it first appears. The book ends with a positive note that
self, which initially crystallizes out of the world, eventually longs to be
reunited with the wholeness of the universe.
In short, self is the common denominator of all living things, in
both the biological and spiritual context. Note that I use the terms “spir-
itual” and “transcendental” in a very broad sense to cover those human
activities and mental contents that are not directly needed for everyday
survival. They include art, music, literature, drama, etc., in addition to
the traditional religious beliefs and rituals. My approach is totally secu-
lar, as I do not assume the presence or absence of an immortal soul or a
supreme, conscious ruler of the universe.