> How, why, and when consciousness evolved remain hotly debated topics Conversely, consider whether or not consciousness as a feature of the world actually evo

> How, why, and when consciousness evolved remain hotly debated topics Conversely, consider whether or not consciousness as a feature of the world actually evolved at all. That is, consciousness could be an inherent part of reality throughout all of reality. See various versions of panpsychism or idealism. The idea is that energy itself is conscious, and what evolves is the shape or form consciousness takes. There is no place in space-time one can point to and say "this is where the lights came on". To answer the question of "why" is the same as answering the question "why something rather than nothing?" It's not clear whether a semantic or symbolic expression (which is itself a part of consciousness) can satisfactorily answer it (that is, explain the whole).