Separate and apart from the brain and mind is human consciousness. Humans are unique in that we are self-aware, and can build on our own logic and understanding. In his book, The Masterpiece of Nature: The Evolution of Genetics and Sexuality, Graham Bell described the origin of sex in the following manner: "Sex is the queen of problems in evolutionary biology" (1982, p. 19). If sex is the "queen" of problems in evolutionary biology, then the evolution of consciousness surely must rank as the "king" of such problems. This paper aims to define human consciousness, and explore various possibilities for its origin. It also examines materialism in light of human consciousness. If materialistic science can explain the origin of the Universe and the origin of man, then surely it must similarly be able to explain the origin of consciousness. The fact is, however, human consciousness cannot be explained merely by mechanistic neuronal firings within the brain.