>Because it's a possibility that consciousness is not merely observable actions or even internal thoughts (the "output")... but the feelings which guide/cause t

>Because it's a possibility that consciousness is not merely observable actions or even internal thoughts (the "output")... but the feelings which guide/cause those actions... If it's actually "caused" by something, then that something must be a physical process which could be simulated. E.g. imagine there is some law of physics that says brains in a certain configuration will say they "feel consciousness" or whatever. That would be a real physical law we could simulate in a computer, and create a simulated brain which behaves exactly the same way. If our behavior isn't caused by anything, if "consciousness" is casually disconnected from the world we live in, then it's irrelevant. It doesn't explain our behavior in any way, or have anything to do with us.