Full Idea
You can't have consciousness until you have the concept of consciousness.
Gist of Idea
Does consciousness need the concept of consciousness?
Source
Daniel C. Dennett (Brainchildren [1998], Ch.6)
Book Reference
Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Brainchildren' [Penguin 1998], p.128
A Reaction
If you read enough Dennett this begins to sound vaguely plausible, but next day it sounds like an absurd claim. 'You can't see a tree until you have the concept of a tree?' When do children acquire the concept of consciousness? Are apes non-conscious?