Evolution, Consciousness and Value

Hey neurophilosophy,

Does consciousness imply the faculty of evaluation?

• By "consciousness" I simply mean "sentience." To use Thomas Nagel's construction: A creature is conscious if there is "something that it is like" to be this creature, an event is consciously perceived if there is "something that it is like" to perceive it. ⁠Whatever else consciousness may or may not be, the difference between it and unconsciousness is firstly a matter of subjective experience. Either the lights are on, or they aren't.

• By "evaluation" I mean the "process" of placing value on what is perceived.

Is it possible that a naturally evolved conscious creature existed without also having the capacity to evaluate it's surroundings - assuming good health? (i.e. not brain damaged or something like that) However simple the scope of consciousness or level of evaluation would be.

It seems that the "reason" consciousness evolved was not exactly to understand the environment, but rather, to allow creatures to manipulate, or adapt to an environment better. When I say "reason", I mean that it was the ability to react to the environment in a more flexible way, rather than the understanding of environment itself, that gave the conscious creature an evolutionary edge. Is this process of conscious flexibility possible without some form of value judgment?