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Pre-reflective self-as-subject from experiential and empirical perspectives
1CREA - CNRS, 1 rue Descartes, 75005 Paris, France. legrand@shs.polytechnique.fr
Consciousness and Cognition
|May 30, 2007
Summary
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.
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.
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