system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does an insect's mind function relative to our own in terms of "thoughts," motivation, and instinct?

Watching "Microcosmos" on Netflix and just wondering with the complex mechanics of insects and their activities, they must think on some level, but how does it work?
gpt
As far as brain development is concerned, humans have a shared heritage with other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even fish. There are structural similarities between the human brain and the brains of these species, and through various states of altered consciousness we can make an educated guess about the consciousness of these species. For example, the basal ganglia plays an important role when humans dream, and a reptile's brain by comparison consists (mostly) of a structure similar to the basal ganglia, so we can make an educated guess about reptilian consciousness. Obviously the human basal ganglia has evolved some unique features, but the "driven" and "self-absorbed" sense of awareness experienced by humans when dreaming is likely similar to reptilian consciousness overall.

Insects however do not have a common heritage with humans, at least not as far as brain development is concerned. Insects evolved from crustaceans, which in turn evolved from annelid worms (by comparison, fish evolved from chaetognatha worms). We can look at the amount of neurons contained in the insect brain, but we haven't really a good understanding or reference for the structures of the insect brain. As such, we can't really make educated guesses about insect consciousness, only speculation.