Metaania

Metaania is a term that appears in a limited set of philosophical and cognitive-science writings to refer to a meta-cognitive state or process focused on the foundations of one’s mental content. The word is not widely adopted as a formal concept in mainstream psychology, and its definition varies across authors.

In its broadest sense, metaania denotes reflective assessment of the origins, structure, and reliability of beliefs and perceptual judgments, at a level above ordinary cognition. Proponents may describe it as evaluating the heuristics, biases, and framing that shape thinking, with the aim of enabling a reconfiguration of larger belief systems or strategies for inquiry.

Relation to other terms: It is distinct from metacognition, which typically involves monitoring cognitive processes during task performance, and from metanoia, a term often associated with a fundamental change of mind or conversion in a religious or transformational sense. Some writers use metaania to describe a more radical, system-wide revision prompted by deep meta-level critique; others apply it to mundane meta-evaluations of epistemic justification.

Etymology and status: The term appears to be a neologism formed from meta- plus an -ania suffix, with no canonical etymology or standard definition. Because it lacks consensus, usage is largely confined to niche texts, speculative essays, or fictional contexts.

See also: Metacognition, Metanoia, Epistemology, Cognitive science.