Evolution and the emergent self

The author presents a view of nature that describes rising complexity in life in terms of increasing information content, first in genes and then in brains. It portrays four species with high brain:body ratios and shows how each species shares with humans the capacity for complex communication, elaborate social relationships, flexible behaviour, tool use, and powers of abstraction. The book describes this constellation of qualities as an emergent self, arguing that self-awareness is nascent in several species besides humans and that potential human characteristics are embedded in the evolutionary process.