If I'm understanding your idea, I am strongly inclined to agree — to think of consciousness as the result of the mind "checking" itself.

It would potentially explain some of the weird justifying behaviour in split-brain patients, as well as external control sensations in schizophrenia (when the system isn't working properly).

It's also reasonably easy to imagine how such a system would evolve in highly social organisms.

To defend the point in the essay, "less" conscious is still conscious (until we define some threshold level, at least). But I get your point. And it's a very very interesting one.

Thanks for engaging.