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Single Idea 3223

[from 'Contemporary Philosophy of Mind' by Georges Rey, in 16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 6. Self as Higher Awareness ]

Full Idea

It is tempting to think that if a system has concepts for nested intentionality and first-person reflection, it has all that's needed for self-consciousness.

Gist of Idea

Self-consciousness may just be nested intentionality

Source

Georges Rey (Contemporary Philosophy of Mind [1997], 11.2.2)

Book Reference

Rey,Georges: 'Contemporary Philosophy of Mind' [Blackwell 1997], p.292


A Reaction

If there nothing more than nested intentionality in complex minds like ours, the top level of the nesting would still have a special status. And if the top level always seemed to stay the same while the lower levels changed, I'd probably call it the Self