concept

Higher-Order Thought Theory

Also known as: Higher-Order Thought (HOT), Higher-Order Thought, higher-order thought, higher-order thought theories

Facts (10)

Sources

Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 ... plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Jun 18, 2004 5 facts

referenceLycan, W. published the article 'The superiority of HOP to HOT' in the 2004 collection 'Higher-Order Theories of Consciousness', edited by R. Gennaro.

perspectiveHigher-order thought (HOT) theorists argue against higher-order perception (HOP) theories by claiming that humans lack organs of inner sense and do not experience sensory qualities other than those presented by outer-directed perception.

claimHigher-order thought (HOT) theories posit that the required higher-order state for consciousness is an assertoric, thought-like meta-state.

claimHigher-Order Perception (HOP) and Higher-Order Thought (HOT) theories of consciousness face the 'generality problem,' which questions why having a thought or perception of a mental state (like a desire or memory) makes that state conscious, when having a thought or perception of a physical object (like a rock or potato) does not make that object conscious.

perspectiveSome Higher-Order Thought (HOT) theorists argue against the claim that the Higher-Order Perception (HOP) model has an explanatory advantage regarding the noninferential and simultaneous nature of conscious-making meta-states.

Self-Consciousness - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Jul 13, 2017 3 facts

claimWilliam Lycan argues for the superiority of Higher-Order Perception (HOP) theories over Higher-Order Thought (HOT) theories of consciousness in his 2004 paper 'The Superiority of HOP to HOT'.

claimHigher-Order Thought (HOT) and Higher-Order Perception (HOP) theories can be understood as holding that consciousness entails self-consciousness because they require an individual to represent themselves as being in a specific first-order state.

referenceRocco Gennaro authored the book 'Consciousness and Self-Consciousness: A Defense of the Higher-Order Thought Theory of Consciousness', published by John Benjamins in 1996.

Critique of Panpsychism: Philosophical Coherence and Scientific ... thequran.love Zia H Shah MD · The Muslim Times May 7, 2025 1 fact

claimAdding the panpsychist premise that neurons have experiential intrinsic natures to standard neuroscientific theories (such as Global Workspace Theory or Higher-Order Thought theory) does not improve the predictive or explanatory power of those theories regarding cognitive function.

AI Sessions #9: The Case Against AI Consciousness (with Anil Seth) conspicuouscognition.com Conspicuous Cognition Feb 17, 2026 1 fact

claimAnil Seth argues that most theories of consciousness, including Global Workspace Theory and Higher-Order Thought Theory, do not specify sufficient conditions for consciousness.