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I respond to de Weerd\u2019s challenge to the evolutionary bottom-up approach, clarifying what it entails. I address Sachs\u2019s discussion of autopoiesis and enactivism, distinguishing my naturalistic framework from these alternatives. I engage Frankish\u2019s concerns about my remaining Cartesian commitments. I reply to Suzuki\u2019s prediction-based alternative to my evaluation-first view of consciousness, his criticism of my discussion of disunity, and his scepticism that consciousness is an adaptation. Finally, I address Chincarini\u2019s comments on the connection between the pathological complexity thesis and animal welfare science.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10597123251413204","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]],"date-time":"2025-12-27T12:48:15Z","timestamp":1766839695000},"page":"53-71","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["On the Evolution, Science, and Metaphysics of Consciousness"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"34","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7701-8995","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Walter","family":"Veit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Philosophy, University of Reading"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_5_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1520-8583.2007.00118.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2024.07.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/acrefore\/9780190264086.013.186"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_5_5_1","first-page":"12351","article-title":"The search for invertebrate consciousness","volume":"56","author":"Birch J.","year":"2020","unstructured":"Birch J. 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