Consequences of consciousness inessentialism
If consciousness inessentialism is true, we should place even less credence in judging whether an animal has something similar to phenomenal consciousness. Because then, sophisticated behaviour could be instantiated without instantiating consciousness at the same time.
This is even more the case if consciousness is the result of very specific computations in the human brain. Then even small deviations from the software in the human brain would lead to the loss of phenomenal consciousness.
Source: Muehlhauser, L. (2017) ‘2017 Report on Consciousness and Moral Patienthood - Open Philanthropy’, Open Philanthropy, 9 June. Available at: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/research/2017-report-on-consciousness-and-moral-patienthood/ (Accessed: 16 February 2023).