Bridging Matter and Mind: A DKS Framework for the Evolution of Self-Awareness

Kazem Haghnejad Azar (University of Mohaghegh Ardabili)

‎Adaptation enables organisms to respond to environmental change through behavioral‎, ‎physiological‎, ‎and structural modifications‎, ‎arising from the interplay of genetic‎, ‎epigenetic‎, ‎developmental‎, ‎and ecological processes‎. ‎Cognitive systems emerge from internal mechanisms‎, ‎molecular interactions‎, ‎and principles of self-organization‎, ‎while external factors‎, ‎such as ecological constraints and physical conditions‎, ‎continuously shape and refine these systems‎. ‎The development of cognition reflects the dynamic interaction between internal physico-chemical processes and environmental forces‎. ‎Consciousness functions as an adaptive mediator‎, ‎a higher-order property of the brain’s dynamics‎, ‎and intelligence arises from its recursive engagement with internal states and the external world‎. ‎This article examines the relationship between the biological processes underlying cognitive systems in living organisms and the evolution of the mind‎, ‎integrating biological findings with philosophical perspectives to explore the nature of mental states and the emergence of conscious experience‎.
This paper examines the emergence of cognition and consciousness as natural outcomes of Dynamic Kinetic Stability (DKS) systems. Cognitive systems develop through recursive interactions between internal dynamics and environmental conditions, where sensitivity links physical processes to emergent cognition. Beginning with basic reactivity, sensitivity evolves into feedback loops that enable regulation, memory, and predictive modeling, ultimately supporting self-awareness. Curiosity, as an advanced form of sensitivity, drives exploration and the diversification of cognitive subsystems such as memory, imagination, and reasoning, enhancing adaptability and survival. Consciousness is thus framed as an emergent property of recursive integration across multiple dimensions of sensitivity rather than a metaphysical leap. The perception of regularities in the environment, often mistaken for deliberate design, reflects the system’s intrinsic alignment with its ecological context. By formalizing these processes through recursive combinatorial operations on perceptual states, it becomes possible to trace how qualia and higher-order cognition arise from iterative comparisons and network dynamics. This framework challenges the traditional dichotomy between mind and matter, situating mental processes within the broader evolutionary continuum of self-organizing systems. Consciousness and self-awareness thereby appear as adaptive constructs, emerging from basic sensitivities into complex architectures capable of modeling both the environment and the self.

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