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Quote by Thomas Metzinger

“For a human being, to possess a consciously experienced first-person perspective means to have acquired a very specific functional profile and distinctive level of representational content in one's currently active phenomenal self-model: It has, episodically, become a dynamic inner model of a knowing self.”

Quote by Thomas Metzinger

Author

Thomas Metzinger

Thomas Metzinger is a German philosopher born on March 12, 1958. His research focuses on the philosophy of consciousness and cognitive science, particularly on the nature and function of consciousness. Metzinger is known for his in-depth exploration of phenomenology, philosophy of mind, and scientific philosophy. more

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“The notion of a conscious model of oneself as an individual entity actively trying to establish epistemic relations to the world and to oneself, I think, comes very close to what we traditionally mean by notions like "subjectivity".”

Thinking World Trying Mean Individual Models Conscious Relation Notion Oneself Entity Subjectivity

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“I believe that gut feelings, the sense of balance, and spatial self-perception are so firmly coupled to our biological body that we will never be able to leave it experientially on a permanent basis.”

Believe Self Feelings Body Able I Believe Balance Perception Bases Permanent Guts Gut Feelings Spatial Self Perception

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“A lot of evidence shows that most of our cognitive processing is unconscious - phenomenal experience is just a very small slice or partition of a much larger space in which mental processing takes place.”

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“As a first-order approximation, I would say that phenomenality is "availability for introspective attention": Consciousness is a property of all those mental contents to which you can in principle direct your attention.”

Firsts Order Attention Consciousness Principles Direct Property Introspective Availability Approximation

Author:Thomas Metzinger

“All attention is introspection.”

Attention Introspection

Author:Thomas Metzinger

“Dolphins frequently leap above the water surface. One reason for this behaviour could be that, when travelling longer distances, jumping can save the dolphins energy as there is less friction while in the air.”

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Author:Thomas Metzinger

“You cannot be a rational subject without veto-control on the level of mental action.”

Action Levels Subjects Rational Veto

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“As far as inner action is concerned, we are only rarely truly self-determined persons, for the major part of our conscious mental activity rather is an automatic, unintentional form of behavior on the subpersonal level.”

Persons Self Action Form Levels Activity Behavior Majors Conscious Concerned Determined

Author:Thomas Metzinger

“When you are simply observing your breath, you are perceiving an automatically unfolding process in your body. By contrast, when you are observing your wandering mind, you are also experiencing the spontaneous activity of a process in your body.”

Mind Body Process Activity Breaths Your Body Wander Contrast Spontaneous Observing Unfolding Wandering Mind

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“Only as long as we believe in our own identity over time does it make sense for us to make future plans, avoid risks, and treat our fellow human beings fairly - for the consequences of our actions will, in the end, always concern ourselves.”

Believe Humans Long Doe Ends Action Human Beings Plans Risk Identity Consequence Concern Treats Fellows Make Sense Our Actions Future Plans Consequences Of Our Actions

Author:Thomas Metzinger