Damasio, consciousness and homeostatic origins

Continuing the last post, in his latest book Damasio explores not only the how but the why of biological evolution. The origin of human consciousness lies deep in antiquity with the first cell and its homeostatic impulse, its affective capacity to determine what is or not necessary for its survival and flourishing. He also finds this to be the root of evolutionary selection and adaptation, their action motivator. Primitive cellular homeostatic drives continue upward on the evolutionary path to more complex life forms with their accompanying consciousness and emotions, yet homeostasis remains as that original adaptive and selective driver. And human feeling continues to bridge that evolutionary gap between life's origin and its advanced functionality in consciousness, keeping the latter grounded in that root while also allowing for flights of fancy into hitherto unknown heights.