On the evolution of phenomenal consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive August 22, 2011 Jean-Louis Dessalles, Tiziana Zalla
Phenomenal consciousness—the capacity to experience sensations like pain, pleasure, colors, and sounds—is likely shared with many animals. Because it is a biological trait, natural selection should explain its existence. The authors argue that phenomenal consciousness is not an epiphenomenon but has an adaptive function: it labels mental representations, allowing organisms to discriminate and evaluate them. They discuss whether consciousness itself was selected for this labeling role.