higher-order theories of consciousness

Many perceptions, thoughts, and emotions occur consciously. But many others occur without being conscious. Higher-order (HO) theories of consciousness seek to explain how mental states that are conscious differ from those that are not. That would tell us what it is for a mental state to be conscious. All HO theories rest on the commonsense observation that whenever a mental state is conscious, one is in some way aware of being in that state. So they see awareness of being in a mental state as a necessary condition for that state to be conscious. The reliance on this condition distinguishes HO theories from other theories of consciousness. There are several versions of a HO theory, which differ mainly in how they explain our awareness of mental states when those states are conscious.