# Self-Reference and Self-Consciousness by Marvin Minsky > "Without self-reference it would seem immeasurably harder to achieve self-consciousness." > **— Marvin Minsky**, *Jokes and their Relation to the Cognitive Unconscious (1980)* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Jokes and their Relation to the Cognitive Unconscious (1980). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta|Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta]] - **Article:** [[articles/Escape Hatch in the Skull|Escape Hatch in the Skull]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Marvin Minsky|Marvin Minsky]] - [[wiki/Consciousness|Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Consciousness Indicators|Consciousness Indicators]] - [[wiki/Psychological Continuity|Psychological Continuity]] - [[wiki/Personal Identity|Personal Identity]] - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "Without self-reference it would seem immeasurably harder to achieve self-consciousness." — Marvin Minsky, Jokes and their Relation to the Cognitive Unconscious (1980) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-marvin-minsky-self-reference-consciousness ```