> I think Douglas Hofstadter satisfactorily answered this question.

He didn't prove anything. It's a theory, just like many others: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-higher/

> Sure we can, it's just that most people don't like the answer.

Again, not proven

There are also plenty of people who think you can't prove whether the Christian God exists. I don't take those people seriously.

Don't mistake continued debate amongst "experts" as being a signal that something is unsettled.