An interesting question is perhaps to ask when did our species become "conscious"? Neanderthal? Erectus? Habilis? Our last common ancestor with chimpanzee? I

An interesting question is perhaps to ask when did our species become "conscious"? Neanderthal? Erectus? Habilis? Our last common ancestor with chimpanzee? It would seem to me that these were all "conscious" in some way and that there is a continuum of this "consciousness" thing whatever it is. My current thinking is that higher level "consciousness" is about levels of self-awareness. I can be self-aware, but am I aware that I am self-aware? This implies to me that there must be some mechanisms that provide the ability to get input from ones own processes to begin to form consciousness. Feedback loops of some sort. I have a sense that given the right quantity and nature of feedback sensing abilities combined with a neural network, appropriately biased to some goal like self preservation, a form of consciousness could emerge. (?) Pure speculation...