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This study defines pre-reflective self-consciousness as a core feature of experience, distinct from self-awareness as an object. It suggests cognitive neuroscience has overlooked this fundamental aspect in self-experience research.

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Area of Science:

  • Phenomenology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • Self-consciousness is a key area of philosophical and psychological inquiry.
  • Current research often focuses on explicit self-awareness, potentially neglecting implicit forms.
  • Pre-reflective self-consciousness is proposed as a foundational element of subjective experience.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize pre-reflective self-consciousness as a minimal form of self-awareness.
  • To critique contemporary cognitive neuroscience for its limited investigation of this concept.
  • To demonstrate the empirical relevance of pre-reflective self-awareness for sensorimotor integration research.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis and characterization of pre-reflective self-consciousness.
  • Critical review of existing cognitive neuroscience literature on self-experience.
  • Phenomenological interpretation of sensorimotor integration processes.

Main Results:

  • Pre-reflective self-consciousness is identified as an inherent, non-objectified aspect of the self-as-subject.
  • Cognitive neuroscience's current models of self-experience are argued to be incomplete due to overlooking this form of consciousness.
  • A framework is provided for integrating the concept into empirical studies, particularly concerning sensorimotor functions.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-reflective self-consciousness is a crucial, yet under-explored, dimension of subjective experience.
  • Re-evaluating self-experience research through a phenomenological lens, incorporating pre-reflective self-awareness, is essential.
  • This approach offers novel insights into sensorimotor integration and the nature of the self.