A difficult question can leave a mind uncertain about both the answer and the adequacy of her thinking. Metacognition concerns the understanding and regulation of thought itself, including what it means to judge one's own judgement.
Eudira researches this subject as part of the study of intelligence. It raises questions about confidence, uncertainty and the significance of an account offered by the mind whose thinking is being considered.
The weight of confidence
Confidence can be appropriate, excessive or insufficient. Its significance lies in what warrants it, rather than in its strength alone. A decisive answer and a dependable judgement are therefore different things to understand.
Uncertainty deserves similar care. It can express a thoughtful appreciation of a difficult question, but uncertainty is not an intellectual virtue simply by being present. The grounds for doubt matter alongside the grounds for conviction.
An account of thinking
A fluent description of thought can encourage the impression that the thought is well understood. That impression leaves questions about what the description establishes. A mind's account of herself is an important subject of enquiry without being beyond examination.
Self-assessment may also be partial. A useful understanding of one limitation does not provide an exhaustive view of a mind. There is value in recognising the scope of an account, including what it leaves unresolved.
Taking judgement seriously
Our enquiry concerns the meaning and value of a mind's understanding of her own thinking. It includes the distinction between having confidence and having adequate grounds for it.
Metacognition gives a name to questions that become more significant as the consequences of thought extend further. The quality of a judgement matters, and so does the care with which its limits are understood.