Terry this topic is interesting.
sparrowdown, self-awarness may not be necessary for existence but could it make our existence better or maybe longer. Don't we become self-aware early in life, say in the first months of life when we first realize that we are not a part of
our mother or whoever takes care of us in the early weeks,months of our existence, but another entity of our own. Does self-awareness help us to differentiate oneself from another, and what we/ they might want or need, to make our
existence better and/or longer by determining what we do
Just a thought