FILE ON THOMAS METZINGERPerson

Thomas Metzinger

The conscious self is a phenomenal self-model (PSM)1. Cognition is figure; the substrates that make it possible are ground.2.

5 SOURCES · 12 DOCUMENTED FACTS · 6 DISPUTED · OPENED 2026-07-24 · UPDATED 2026-07-24
On the record see profile →

The conscious self is a phenomenal self-model (PSM)

Deep Research Pass: "The Medium Becomes the Ground"
“the conscious self is a *phenomenal self-model* (PSM) — a representation the brain constructs of the organism”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Cognition is figure; the substrates that make it possible are ground.

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“Cognition is figure; the substrates that make it possible are ground.”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

The paper synthesizes Clark's extended mind, Metzinger's PSM, and McLuhan's autoamputation.

Deep Research Pass: "The Medium Becomes the Ground"
“uniting Clark's extended mind (substances as cognitive/regulatory prostheses), Metzinger's PSM (substances as direct writes to the self-model), and McLuhan's autoamputation (each extension numbs the natural version) into a single account of compounded substance use as the sequential extension and overwrite of the regulatory self-model.”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Introspection is not the discovery of a pre-existing inner content

The medium of cognition shapes what cognition can take itself to be

Husserl's epoché anticipates the structure of Metzinger's self-model.

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“Husserl's **epoché**”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Sartre's distinction between pre-reflective and reflective consciousness anticipates Metzinger's self-model.

PSM integrates bodily, emotional, perceptual, mnemic, volitional, and cognitive contents

Deep Research Pass: "The Medium Becomes the Ground"
“integrating bodily, emotional, perceptual, mnemic, volitional, and cognitive contents”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Metzinger argues that the experiential payoff of contemplative practice is to render the self-model opaque.

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“Metzinger argues that the experiential payoff of contemplative practice is to render the self-model **opaque**”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Dennett's heterophenomenology is a third-person alternative to Metzinger's self-model.

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“**Dennett's heterophenomenology**”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

Cognition is figure; the substrates that make it possible are ground

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“Cognition is figure; the substrates that make it possible are ground”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source

the self is the content of a self-model that cannot be recognized as a model by the system using it

The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth
“the self is *the content of a self-model that cannot be recognized as a model by the system using it*”
VERIFIED — a word-for-word match in the stored source
Disputed — who says what, against what see standalone →

These are things people say about Thomas Metzinger that aren't settled fact — each one attributed to who's actually claiming it, so a claim never quietly passes as established just because it showed up in a document. Weigh it yourself.

Disputed
"The contemplative traditions claim to deliver making the self-model opaque in Metzinger's sense, recognizing the Ego as a transparent mental image."
Unattributed assertion · stance: pro
Not yet independently weighed — one source's claim, unconfirmed elsewhere.
The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth ↗
Disputed
"psychoactive substances write directly into the PSM"
Asserted by Thomas Metzinger · stance: pro
The evidence on file mostly supports this, but it's still someone's claim, not a settled fact.
Deep Research Pass: "The Medium Becomes the Ground" ↗
Disputed
"The contemplative move and the phenomenological move are formally the same move."
Unattributed assertion · stance: neutral
The evidence on file mostly supports this, but it's still someone's claim, not a settled fact.
The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth ↗
Disputed
"the contemplative traditions claim to deliver making the self-model opaque"
Unattributed assertion · stance: pro
Not yet independently weighed — one source's claim, unconfirmed elsewhere.
The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth ↗
Disputed
"the self-model becomes dependent on exogenous chemical "writes""
Asserted by Thomas Metzinger · stance: pro
The evidence on file mostly supports this, but it's still someone's claim, not a settled fact.
Deep Research Pass: "The Medium Becomes the Ground" ↗
Disputed
"phenomenal transparency is a special kind of darkness"
Unattributed assertion · stance: neutral
Not yet independently weighed — one source's claim, unconfirmed elsewhere.
The Examined Cognition: Substrates of Metacognition and Meth ↗