Metacognition: Knowing Oneself, Reaching the Other, Becoming Public
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47613/reflektif.2026.287Keywords:
Metacognition, self-reflexivity, Intellectual modesty, Public sphere, DemocracyAbstract
Metacognitive intelligence sits at the pinnacle of the “executive function” pyramid; it is the ability to observe, monitor, and manage one’s own mental processes as if they were objects. This capacity, through the prefrontal cortex, constructs an “observing self,” enabling the individual to escape the traps of ego rationalization and autopilot behavior.
This study approaches the concept of metacognition from an interdisciplinary perspective. Throughout the text, traces of the concept are followed across a wide spectrum—from the ancient philosophies of Plato and Ibn Sina, to Jung’s psychology, from the “cognitive blindness” caused by the Dunning-Kruger effect to the theories of the public sphere by Habermas, Sennett, and Arendt.
The main argument of this study is that metacognition is not just a criterion of individual mental performance, but also an essential cognitive prerequisite for building democratic publicness.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Hakan Yılmaz
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