As O'Leary notes, "according to current evolution theory, consciousness is a randomly evolved illusion created by the brain to help the human animal hunt better." However, Hoffman dissents from that position. He explains his perspective thus:
Consciousness didn't emerge from a prior physical process of evolution. Consciousness is fundamental and so we have to rethink the whole history of the universe actually from this point of view, from The Big Bang through evolution. We need to rethink it in terms of how to rewrite that story, consistent with all of our current science but understanding that it's...consciousness that is fundamental, not the physical universe.
Later, he adds:
And, you know, one thing that comes out of this as well is, no one has been able to give a reason for why consciousness would evolve. What is it for? And so my attitude is, it didn't evolve. It's the ground from which evolution occurs.
The view that Hoffman expresses is quite extraordinary. In effect, what Hoffman is saying is that rather than consciousness being an accidental byproduct of evolution, evolution is a sort of byproduct of consciousness. Moreover, Hoffman implicitly is rejecting the strict materialist/physicalist position underlying neo-Darwinian evolution--the idea that only matter or the physical exist, that non-material/nonphysical entities like minds do not exist. To be fair, Hoffman tries to argue that physicalism is not necessary for evolution: "...it's not absolutely necessary to be a physicalist to have the key principles of evolution." However, he doesn't explain how this can be. Moreover, if it is true, as he says, that "consciousness is fundamental, not the physical universe," then he cannot preclude the possibility that consciousness, or to be more precise, a Consciousness, a Mind, was responsible for the universe coming into existence. And, I would argue, if that Mind had the ability to bring the universe into existence, it could have also brought life on earth, in all its myriad forms, into existence, precluding the need for evolution.
In short, Hoffman is acknowledging that evolution cannot explain consciousness, but nonetheless wants to hold on to the evolutionary paradigm. However, by admitting that consciousness cannot be explained in evolutionary terms, he is unintentionally opening the door to the possibility of a Creator.
Image of Donald Hoffman from Wikimedia Commons