I haven't thought about this issue too much but I don't, at a glance, find an issue with saying people lacking inner voices are less conscious (at least in one

I haven't thought about this issue too much but I don't, at a glance, find an issue with saying people lacking inner voices are less conscious (at least in one aspect of consciousness, for all we know they might lack one aspect but have greater consciousness in other aspects). It seems that someone who has a lesser ability to use their consciousness would definitionally be "less conscious". What are your thoughts?