That would have made an excellent addition to the book. I'd still be dubious, but it would have made for a more satisfying explanation.
That reminds me of a Philip K Dick short story along those lines, The Golden Man. It's about a good-looking mutant who has no verbal abilities, but can see all possible outcomes up to a point in the future. He breaks free of containment, uses his ability to seduce women (also to escape), and in the end, the govt officials tasked with capturing him lament that he might be the end of the human race, if he has children with his ability.
It's not about consciousness, but the story definitely supposes that evolution can jettison intelligence if a better ability came along.
That reminds me of a Philip K Dick short story along those lines, The Golden Man. It's about a good-looking mutant who has no verbal abilities, but can see all possible outcomes up to a point in the future. He breaks free of containment, uses his ability to seduce women (also to escape), and in the end, the govt officials tasked with capturing him lament that he might be the end of the human race, if he has children with his ability.
It's not about consciousness, but the story definitely supposes that evolution can jettison intelligence if a better ability came along.