Full Idea
Consciousness is just a 'tool' and nothing more - in the same sense that the stomach is a tool.
Gist of Idea
Consciousness is a 'tool' - just as the stomach is a tool
Source
Friedrich Nietzsche (Writings from Late Notebooks [1887], 37[4])
Book Reference
Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Writings from the Late Notebooks', ed/tr. Bittner,Rüdiger [CUP 2003], p.29
A Reaction
Nietzsche was very critical of Darwin, but he absorbed his teachings quicker than anyone. I agree with this, and with Fodor (Idea 2508), that to understand a mind you must think about why we have minds.
Related Idea
Idea 2508 The function of a mind is obvious [Fodor]