"cah"  wrote in message
>
> Can someone give me a precis or direct me to literature (or good web >
pages!)  about the origins of consciousness (emotion, reason, etc) and
> how evolution theory provides an explanation into its development.
>
"Conciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett and "The
Emperor's New Mind" by
Roger Penrose will give you two not-too-technical accounts of the state of
our knowledge. Dennett thinks the problem is essentially solved, whilst
Penrose thinks the opposite.
On evolution and consciousness specifically I can't think of much. There are
lots of books on human evolution which give dates for first tool use,
bipedalism, first use of fire, first cultural artefacts etc.
>
>Particularly helpful would be information that is oriented to non-
> scientists.
>
Bascially everyone is a non-scientist when it come to consciousness. We
don't know what type of phenomenon it is, nor even whether non-human
organisms possess it.
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