A new theory reported on by the Daily Mail attempts to answer one of humanity’s oldest questions: Why are we conscious?
University of Edinburgh Professor Igor Rudan argues that consciousness is not simply our awareness of the world but an evolutionary adaptation that allowed humanity to mentally simulate possible futures before acting. His proposal goes even further, suggesting consciousness may be so fundamental that our experience of space and time emerged from it.
It is a fascinating hypothesis, but it also reflects a growing trend to explain humanity’s deepest mysteries without the Creator.
Scripture answers the question of origins before humanity ever enters the picture. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Space, time and the physical universe are not products of consciousness. They are part of God’s created order. Consciousness itself is one of God’s gifts to humanity, not the force from which reality emerged.
Created in God’s Image, Not by Consciousness
The theory assumes consciousness evolved because it gave humanity a survival advantage. By mentally simulating future outcomes, our ancestors supposedly became more successful than competing species.
God’s Word presents a completely different account.
Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” Adam did not gradually become self-aware through evolutionary development. He became a living person because God intentionally created him and breathed life into him.
That distinction shapes everything else Scripture teaches about humanity.
Rudan’s theory also suggests consciousness exists on a spectrum, with some animals possessing greater levels of awareness than others. While the Bible acknowledges that animals display remarkable intelligence, it establishes a clear distinction between mankind and every other living creature. Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that humanity alone was created in God’s image.
Our worth is not determined by intelligence, planning ability or evolutionary success but by the God who made us.
The theory also attempts to explain morality by suggesting consciousness evaluates future possibilities through emotions, risks and rewards. While those factors certainly influence our decisions, they do not explain why people instinctively recognize justice, guilt, sacrifice and evil. Romans 2:15 says God has written His law on our hearts, and our conscience bears witness to it. Human beings possess moral awareness because we answer to a moral Creator.
The Search for Humanity Without the Creator
Perhaps the greatest weakness of theories like this is not simply what they claim about consciousness but what they leave out. There is no Creator, no soul and no eternal purpose. Humanity becomes the product of natural processes rather than God’s intentional design.
Yet Scripture tells us that God “has also set eternity in their hearts” (Eccl. 3:11). Our longing for meaning, truth, beauty, and eternity cannot be reduced to an evolutionary advantage, for we were created to know the One who placed those desires within us.
This illustrates a broader trend that has become increasingly common across modern culture. Whether the discussion revolves around neuroscience, artificial intelligence, transhumanism or consciousness studies, many of today’s theories begin with the assumption that humanity can ultimately explain itself without God. They may differ in their conclusions, but they often arrive at the same destination: replacing the Creator with creation.
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How Consciousness Is Shaping the Disclosure Narrative
That larger shift also helps explain why discussions about consciousness have become increasingly connected to the growing disclosure movement surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomena and alleged non-human intelligences.
While many questions remain about unexplained aerial phenomena (UAPs), a growing number of researchers, authors and public figures within the disclosure movement argue that the phenomenon is not simply technological but deeply spiritual.
Increasingly, they suggest humanity must undergo an expansion of consciousness or a collective awakening before it can fully understand or interact with alleged non-human intelligences.
That language should sound familiar.
Terms such as “raising consciousness,” “awakening,” “higher awareness,” “expanded perception” and “human evolution” have become common themes throughout New Age spirituality.
More recently, many of those same ideas have found their way into disclosure discussions, where consciousness is presented as the key that unlocks humanity’s next stage of existence.
Whether intentional or not, theories that elevate consciousness as the foundation of reality help prepare people to embrace that broader worldview. If consciousness becomes the ultimate source of truth, purpose and even existence itself, it becomes much easier to accept spiritual claims that encourage people to look inward for so-called enlightenment rather than upward to the God who created them.
Scripture repeatedly warns us that deception often begins by replacing God’s truth with an alternative explanation for reality. Romans 1:25 says people “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator.” That warning is just as relevant today as our culture increasingly looks to human consciousness instead of God’s revelation to answer life’s greatest questions.
This does not mean Professor Rudan is promoting New Age spirituality or that every scientist studying consciousness shares those beliefs. His work is presented as an attempt to explain consciousness through evolutionary biology. Yet ideas rarely remain confined to academic journals. They often become the philosophical foundation upon which broader cultural and spiritual movements are built.
Our greatest need has never been expanded consciousness. Our greatest need is redemption through Jesus Christ. Sin has darkened humanity’s understanding, but Christ came to reconcile us to the Father and renew our minds through His truth. Consciousness is one of God’s most extraordinary gifts, but it was never meant to replace the One who gave it. The more we discover about the remarkable design of the human mind, the more it should lead us to worship its Designer.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
