Editing Mind (section)

=== Evolution ===
The mind has a long evolutionary history starting with the [[Evolution of nervous systems|development of the nervous system]] and [[Evolution of the brain|the brain]].<ref>{{harvnb|Roth|2013|p=3}}</ref> While it is generally accepted today that mind is not exclusive to humans and various non-human animals have some form of mind, there is no consensus at which point exactly the mind emerged.<ref>{{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|pp=3–4}}</ref> The evolution of mind is usually explained in terms of [[natural selection]]: [[genetic variation]]s responsible for new or improved mental capacities, such as better perception or social dispositions, have an increased chance of being passed on to future generations if they are beneficial to [[Fitness (biology)|survival and reproduction]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|pp=4–5}} | {{harvnb|Roth|2013|pp=3–4}} }}</ref>

Minimal forms of information processing are already found in the earliest forms of life 4 to 3.5 billion years ago, like the abilities of [[bacteria]] and [[Eukaryote|eukaryotic]] [[unicellular organism]]s to sense the environment, store this information, and react to it. [[Nerve cell]]s emerged with the development of [[multicellular organisms]] more than 600 million years ago as a way to process and transmit information. About 600 to 550 million years ago, an evolutionary bifurcation happened into radially symmetric organisms{{efn|They include [[cnidarians]] and [[ctenophorans]].<ref>{{harvnb|Roth|2013|pp=265–266}}</ref>}} with ring-shaped nervous systems or a [[nerve net]], like [[jellyfish]], and organisms with [[bilaterians|bilaterally symmetric bodies]], whose nervous systems tend to be more centralized. About 540 million years ago, vertebrates evolved within the group of bilaterally organized organisms. Vertebrates, like birds and [[mammal]]s, have a [[central nervous system]] including a complex brain with specialized functions. Invertebrates, like [[clam]]s and [[insect]]s, typically either have no or relatively simple brains.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Roth|2013|pp=265–266}} | {{harvnb|Erulkar|Lentz|2024|loc=§ Evolution and Development of the Nervous System}} | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|pp=6–7}} }}</ref> In the course of evolution, the brains of vertebrates tended to grow and the specialization of different brain areas tended to increase. These developments are closely related to changes in limb structures, sense organs, and living conditions with a close correspondence between the size of a brain area and the importance of its function to the organism.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Erulkar|Lentz|2024|loc=§ Evolution and Development of the Nervous System}} | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|p=13}} }}</ref> An important step in the evolution of mammals about 200 million years ago was the development of the [[neocortex]], which is responsible for many higher-order brain functions.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Aboitiz|Montiel|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=N4HB0Sw-4u8C&pg=PA7 7]}} | {{harvnb|Aboitiz|Montiel|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NZ19UiDPosEC&pg=PA14 14–15]}} | {{harvnb|Finlay|Innocenti|Scheich|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9BsGCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 3]}} | {{harvnb|Jerison|2013|pp=7–8}} }}</ref>

The size of the brain relative to the body further increased with the development of [[primate]]s, like monkeys, about 65 million years ago and later with the emergence of the first [[hominin]]s about 7–5 million years ago.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|pp=6–8}} | {{harvnb|Reyes|Sherwood|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=I1kqBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 12]}} | {{harvnb|Wragg-Sykes|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tbbjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA183 183]}} }}</ref> [[Anatomically modern humans]] appeared about 300,000 to 200,000 years ago.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|p=9}} | {{harvnb|Wragg-Sykes|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tbbjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA183 183]}} | {{harvnb|Fagan|Durrani|2021|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NNFKEAAAQBAJ 3. Enter Homo Sapiens (c. 300,000 Years Ago and Later)]}} }}</ref> Various theories of the evolutionary processes responsible for [[Evolution of human intelligence|human intelligence]] have been proposed. The social intelligence hypothesis says that the evolution of the human mind was triggered by the increased importance of social life and its emphasis on mental abilities associated with [[empathy]], [[knowledge transfer]], and [[meta-cognition]]. According to the ecological intelligence hypothesis, the main value of the increased mental capacities comes from their advantages in dealing with a complex physical environment through processes like behavioral flexibility, learning, and tool use. Other suggested mechanisms include the effects of a changed diet with energy-rich food and general benefits from an increased speed and efficiency of information processing.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Roth|2013|p=3}} | {{harvnb|Hatfield|2013|pp=36–43}} | {{harvnb|Mandalaywala|Fleener|Maestripieri|2014|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ylzEBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 28–29]}} }}</ref> Some models propose that another major cognitive shift occurred possibly 50,000 to 40,000 years ago. Called ''[[behavioral modernity]]'', it is associated with the emergence of new or improved mental abilities, such as technological innovativeness, abstract thinking, the use of [[symbol]]s, planning, and social coordination.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Majkić|2024|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4dPrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 97–99]}} | {{harvnb|Sterelny|2011|pp=809, 811–812}} }}</ref>