Rather than dismissing consciousness, the theory places it at the center of our abilities. It is an ancient, highly simplified, internal model, honed by evolution to serve two main useful functions, as I have described over the last several chapters. Its first function may have been as a self model, to monitor, make predictions about, and help control one’s own attention. The second function may have been as a catalyst for social cognition, allowing us to model the attentional states of others and thus predict their behavior.
