An excerpt from Episode 3 below of his PBS series The Brain.
"To understand the role consciousness plays [...] I think of
consciousness like the CEO of a large corporation. Within the brain,
there are thousands of automated departments, each working on its own
task. Some departments can overlap and collaborate, but what happens if
there's a conflict between them? [...] When this happens, it's time
for the boss to get a call. [...] Your conscious mind tries to work out
what's best and make an executive decision. Consciousness is the arbiter of conflicting motivations in the brain. It has a unique vantage point, one that no other part of the brain has access to. [...] Consciousness is one of evolution's greatest creations. It allows the
brain to arbitrate the vast workings of the unconscious. It allows the
brain to react to unexpected events. And it allows the brain to see itself. In acting as a long-term planner, consciousness has led us to become the most successful species on the planet."
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