" It is widely shared not only by phenomenologists such as Sartre and Husserl and self-representationalists like Kriegel, but also by higher-order representationalists. For the latter, the difference between conscious and non-conscious mental states rests upon the presence or absence of a relevant meta-mental state. One way to illustrate the guiding idea of this approach is to compare consciousness to a spotlight. Some mental states are illuminated; others do their work in the dark. What makes a mental state conscious (illuminated) is the fact that it is taken as an object by a relevant higher-order state. "

― Dan Zahavi , Self and Other: Exploring Subjectivity, Empathy, and Shame