This might be an explanation of the development of consciousness, but it does little to explain what consciousness actually is. > In order to compete, they nee

This might be an explanation of the development of consciousness, but it does little to explain what consciousness actually is. > In order to compete, they need to adapt, hence they develop consciousness. The "hence" here is not a necessary implication. Plants also compete and adapt, but they don't have consciousness. Also, they have not lost the competition with animals. As a whole, I suppose they have better chances of survival than animals.