I believe OP is referring to the form of consciousness humans boastfully believe is the highest.
Last year, I chose, essentially, this question as my area of focus in university. (More specifically, I was studying the evolution of consciousness, consciousness and it's forms, expansion of consciousness, Human vs. Animal consciousness, etcetc.) My main instructor has been studying these topics for decades and is, in the grossest understatement imaginable, an extremely wise creature. So hopefully, you'll accept my conclusions as the result of considerable thought.
That said, I believe the main answer is to ensure our survival, through technology (in the most basic sense of the word.) When we came down from the trees (due to, among other things, the gradual drying out of the once lush Africa) we made ourselves much more venerable. The trees were an essential aspect of our survival, so without them, we became an essentially weak animal. I mean, a human being has hands and arms, but they're not particularly strong, and compared to claws or talons, are ineffective for attack or defense. They can run decently fast, but most animals in the animal kingdom can run much faster (especially those animals early humans, without the aid of technology, had to catch.) We are injured by merely being outside too long (sunburn.) A human, without their intellect, is such a venerable being it's almost as if we're Mother Nature's punchline...
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