---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe it is reasonable to assume that…"
description: "\"“I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order consciousness developed neurologically in Africa before the second wave of emigration to the Mi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg"
---

#  I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order…

![“I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order consciousness developed neurologically in Africa before the second wave of emigration to the Middle East and Europe.” quote by James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg)

> ““I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order consciousness developed neurologically in Africa before the second wave of emigration to the Middle East and Europe.””

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Higher‑order consciousness likely emerged in Africa before migrations, suggesting a deep African root for complex cognition.

**In simple terms:** Complex consciousness began in Africa before spreading.

Key Takeaway

Recognize Africa’s role in cognitive evolution.

Themes

anthropology neuroscience history

Mood

analytical thought‑provoking

Type

academic philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic curricula
- public talks
- museum exhibits

Key Concepts

evolutionary theory cognitive science

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports this view?
- How does this reshape our understanding of humanity?

A Different Perspective

Evidence is still debated; alternative theories exist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Upper-palaeolithic-art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-palaeolithic-art/)

## Related quotes

> [“Once human beings had developed higher-order consciousness, they had the ability to see mental images projected onto surfaces and to experience afterimages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/once-human-beings-had-developed-higher-order-consciousness-they-had/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“In the past few thousand years—a mere split second in evolutionary time—humanity has achieved incredible advances in the differentiation of consciousness. We have developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/in-the-past-few-thousand-years-a-mere-split-second-in-evolutionary/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [ “\[Higher-order consciousness\] involves the ability to construct a socially based selfhood, to model the world in terms of the past and the future, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/higher-order-consciousness-involves-the-ability-to-construct-a/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Art was not simply a foregone conclusion, the final link in a causal chain. It was not the inevitable outcome of an evolving ‘aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/art-was-not-simply-a-foregone-conclusion-the-final-link-in-a-causal/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Primary consciousness is a state of being aware of things in the world – of having mental images in the present.But it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/primary-consciousness-is-a-state-of-being-aware-of-things-in-the/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Under certain social circumstances, which may have varied from time to time and place to place, certain people (shamans) saw a relationship between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/under-certain-social-circumstances-which-may-have-varied-from-time-to/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Improved memory made possible the long-term recollection of dreams and visions and the construction of those recollections into a spirit world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/improved-memory-made-possible-the-long-term-recollection-of-dreams/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The first point to notice is that the Transition cannot be explained by climatic change alone: human change was not the direct result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-first-point-to-notice-is-that-the-transition-cannot-be-explained/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Perhaps the most striking feature of the west European Upper Palaeolithic, one on which many writers comment, is a sharp increase in the rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/perhaps-the-most-striking-feature-of-the-west-european-upper/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The picture of change in human society that emerges from this recent research throws new light on that aspect of the Transition that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-picture-of-change-in-human-society-that-emerges-from-this-recent/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“To understand the ‘wounded men’ of Upper Palaeolithic art, I now consider somatic hallucinations; these include attenuation of the body and limbs, polymelia (having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/to-understand-the-wounded-men-of-upper-palaeolithic-art-i-now/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“I suggest that the type of consciousness – not merely the degree of intelligence – that Neanderthals possessed was different in important respects from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-suggest-that-the-type-of-consciousness-not-merely-the-degree-of/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The principal aim of a vision quest is to ‘see’ a spirit animal that will become the quester’s animal-helper and source of his power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-principal-aim-of-a-vision-quest-is-to-see-a-spirit-animal-that/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“For the makers, the paintings and engravings were visions, not representations of visions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/for-the-makers-the-paintings-and-engravings-were-visions-not/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

## More by James David Lewis-Williams

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“For the makers, the paintings and engravings were visions, not representations of visions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/for-the-makers-the-paintings-and-engravings-were-visions-not/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The principal aim of a vision quest is to ‘see’ a spirit animal that will become the quester’s animal-helper and source of his power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-principal-aim-of-a-vision-quest-is-to-see-a-spirit-animal-that/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“I suggest that the type of consciousness – not merely the degree of intelligence – that Neanderthals possessed was different in important respects from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-suggest-that-the-type-of-consciousness-not-merely-the-degree-of/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“To understand the ‘wounded men’ of Upper Palaeolithic art, I now consider somatic hallucinations; these include attenuation of the body and limbs, polymelia (having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/to-understand-the-wounded-men-of-upper-palaeolithic-art-i-now/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The picture of change in human society that emerges from this recent research throws new light on that aspect of the Transition that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-picture-of-change-in-human-society-that-emerges-from-this-recent/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Perhaps the most striking feature of the west European Upper Palaeolithic, one on which many writers comment, is a sharp increase in the rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/perhaps-the-most-striking-feature-of-the-west-european-upper/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The first point to notice is that the Transition cannot be explained by climatic change alone: human change was not the direct result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-first-point-to-notice-is-that-the-transition-cannot-be-explained/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The world’s oldest ‘art’ (77,000 years old) comes from Blombos Cave on the southern coast of South Africa.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-world-s-oldest-art-77-000-years-old-comes-from-blombos-cave-on/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Improved memory made possible the long-term recollection of dreams and visions and the construction of those recollections into a spirit world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/improved-memory-made-possible-the-long-term-recollection-of-dreams/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Under certain social circumstances, which may have varied from time to time and place to place, certain people (shamans) saw a relationship between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/under-certain-social-circumstances-which-may-have-varied-from-time-to/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Primary consciousness is a state of being aware of things in the world – of having mental images in the present.But it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/primary-consciousness-is-a-state-of-being-aware-of-things-in-the/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Art was not simply a foregone conclusion, the final link in a causal chain. It was not the inevitable outcome of an evolving ‘aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/art-was-not-simply-a-foregone-conclusion-the-final-link-in-a-causal/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“Once human beings had developed higher-order consciousness, they had the ability to see mental images projected onto surfaces and to experience afterimages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/once-human-beings-had-developed-higher-order-consciousness-they-had/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [“The ‘wounded men’ may, I argue, represent a form of shamanistic suffering, ‘death’ and initiation that was closely associated with somatic hallucinati”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-wounded-men-may-i-argue-represent-a-form-of-shamanistic-suffering/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

[Explore all 46 James David Lewis-Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

Dylan Gelulla

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order consciousness developed neurologically in Africa before the second wave of emigration to the Middle East and Europe.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James David Lewis-Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-that-higher-order-consciousness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-that-higher-order-consciousness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/james-david-lewis-williams-144_consciousness_i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-tha_2633488.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I believe it is reasonable to assume that higher-order consciousness developed neurologically in Africa…” — James David Lewis-Williams",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James David Lewis-Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I believe it is reasonable to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-that-higher-order-consciousness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-believe-it-is-reasonable-to-assume-that-higher-order-consciousness/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```