"The Evolution of Introspective Consciousness"

Another fascinating tid-bit from the Radiolab episode "Who Am I?"

Then they talked about V.S. Ramachandran's theory about the evolution of introspective consciousness and how there is something uniquely human in our ability to construct narrative or story. . And I wonder to myself about how central this notion of story really is to human beings. Which leads me also to think about how Ira Glass talks about narrative and its importance or familiarity (in structuring This American Life) . . . and then i move to what my paintings can be in terms of narrative qualities. . . what are narrative paintings like. . and how do we strip them of narrative or add narrative. . . I read in maybe a New American paintings about artists who aim to "strip the works of their narrative quality" (I think in that case, it was removing background context for a figure). . . but what does it mean to strip the paintings of narrative quality and does that affect their meaning (like Landau's TMT stuff - abstract and unlikable :)) and the importance of a picture in your head in creating that narrative in our minds. . . they talk about how we "juggle" symbols in our minds - make things that can't exist anywhere in nature - LETS WRITE A THESIS! :)