The idea of consciousness is entirely man-made. Being conscious (i.e. self aware of place in space and time) is different from what we argue about as 'consciousness'. We can't have serious discussions about this – e.g. definition, evidence that it's real, etc. if we have philosophers in the room. Charlatans like David Chalmers are not equipped for this; it's like asking an engineer to do research in medicine. We already have a good scientific foundation for being conscious (the simulating brain, areas of the brain associated with it, etc.) This should be the starting block for exploring possible 'emergent' properties. Philosophers are creating un-anchored conjectures (not even theories) and are simply muddying the field.