Is self awareness really considered to be the pinnacle of existence?

Question:Because the existential anxiety it can create seems to be holding mankind back. Do you think that we'll ever reach a point where we could eveolve out of it, or are we stuck with it; how on earth could it be replaced?

Thoughtful answers only please

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Because the existential anxiety it can create seems to be holding mankind back. Do you think that we'll ever reach a point where we could eveolve out of it, or are we stuck with it; how on earth could it be replaced?

Thoughtful answers only please

Self-awareness got us out of the caves, Plato's included. How can knowing thyself hold mankind back?

No, it is not the "pinnacle of existence." The pinnacle is knowing what your purpose is, then achieving it. That is better than whining "what is man's purpose? Why am I alive?"

Our species' name is not Homo sapiens. He died, as far as I can tell, just before the pre-Socratics.
We are his only living cousin, Homo sapiens sapiens. The double "sapiens" indicates consciousness of consciousness, which is what I take to mean "self-awareness."

Physically, we are no different at all from the pre-Socratics, except perhaps taller. But we have that self-awareness they did not. Our name is a metaphysical identity, not one of anthropology.

Why on earth would you want to replace sapience of sapience, the ability, literally, to pass knowlege on to our progeny?

I think for your own existence it is important to be self checked , because when you are you only will live life to the fullest and then you can help people live their life to the fullesst. It is definatly not stopping the evolution of man, it us being aware of it that will change man. but not evolution.

If you have no self-awareness, what kind of existence do you have then? It's necessary to be self-aware to "feel" things. Anxiety is a part of life and comes along with that, but without it, can you really even be sure this is real?

once u attain self awareness u would realize that pinnacles are illusions........

It depends on whether you think awareness is causing the anxiety. Can there be awareness without anxiety? I can imagine a psychology that evolves beyond the fight or flight impulse that would greatly reduce normal anxiety. Since awareness is the universe getting to know itself, I would think that it might eventually work out this problem. This is just a hopeful guess, however.

only if it is able to lead us to a cosmic awareness, to finally connecting with the whole and completely understanding it. i believe that if we were not headed towards self-destruction and had the time required, we would evolve to dispense with whatever within us causes us to suffer from what you describe as existential anxiety. i think we're going to need a miracle to rid ourselves of it - on a globally significant scale. unless very expensive therapy suddenly becomes affordable for all.

Inasmuch as self-awareness unlocks the ability to love, then yes it is the pinnacle. That it causes pain and fear, no denying. I'd say you summed it up well. Evolve out of it? To do that would be to evolve away from being able to love - I think that's my deepest fear for mankind, that we're moving in that direction. To me, that would be a loss on scale with the extinction of man.

Our minds are only capable of so much at a given time in their development, be it evolutionary or other wise. I don't think it is not impossible that we could move to a different type of awareness. I am not even sure if "awareness" would be the proper term for what ever it is we could achieve. As far as awareness being the pinnacle of existence; we will never know. We should not stop asking though and I believe we should hold true to the maxim of Aristotle: All I am certain of is my own ignorance (I paraphrased of course).