Insects cannot tell us anything about subjective experience or the origin of consciousness

Barron and Klein (1) propose that insects have the capacity for subjective experience. This hypothesis is based on two questionable premises: first, that the vertebrate midbrain is sufficient for subjective experience and, second, that this structure integrates multiple sensory inputs and produces a neural representation that is used to drive behavior. Barron and Klein (1) argue that because the insect brain has analogous functional properties to the vertebrate midbrain, it must be, at least, capable of subjective experience. However, this conclusion is not … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: brian.key{at}uq.edu.au. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1