In context:
Our ancestors lived in groups that rewarded members for living up to the common values, norms, and ideals. Therefore, people could adjust their actions to meet those standards fared better than the ones who were oblivious to their own social faux pas. Changing personal behavior to meet standards requires willpower, but willpower without self-awareness is as useless as a cannon commanded by a blind man. That’s why self-awareness evolved as an innate trait among our early ancestors on the savanna – and why it has kept developing recently in more treacherous social environs.
