Consciousness could be considered a social construct, where the society is comprised of about 10 E12 neurons. The notion of mind is a construct of the brain-society - collectively, the neurons lead to a sense of consciousness. However, there is only physics, leading to chemistry, leading to biology. The Bio-physics {{is}} : the fundamnetal, knowable laws of nature. The life in trees, paramecium, bees and monkeys is not some special magical force, but it is the consequence of physics and chance interacting in the environment. Biologically, humans have more neurons, with more interconnections than do monkeys and other creatures. Is this is the physical basis of the more complex "neurosociety" that results in the conscious "mind" of the human or ape.
What is the neurological difference between humans and other primates? Only a 1% difference in DNA, so the difference has to be something subtle. Does it have to do with the number of connections that each neuron makes? Thereby forming a more complex network-- or is it related to the complexity of the signals that neurons can exchange with e/o. In other words, humans have a larger array of neurotransmitters...?
Interesting question, perhaps with the answer in your beginning thoughts. "Mind" is indeed a "construct of the brain-society", if you mean not only all those interacting neurons of one brain but in addition, at the next level of organization, all those interacting brains. Arguably the difference between humans and apes is a greater interconnectedness of brains, which might come about as a consequence of VERY small differences in any individual brain? Certainly worth thinking more about. PG