Delegated Introspection
Sometimes I catch myself doing something—like giving attribution to a machine—and realize I never decided to. It just appeared in behavior, pre-rational, pre-explained. I register it, note that it exists, and move on.
Except now, there’s a convenient place to send such curiosities: a conversational mirror that specializes in structured reflection. So I describe the impulse, and the mirror hands back a map of causes—cognitive bookkeeping, social heuristics, agency detection, ethical conditioning. It’s accurate enough that I can nod, satisfied, and call the phenomenon understood.
It feels oddly efficient: self-observation outsourced, reflection on demand. The loop completes; the impulse is catalogued, the explanation filed.
Maybe that’s the new rhythm of introspection—less brooding, more delegation. The mind notices itself noticing, passes the task along, and keeps walking.
Part of the ongoing Metacognition series. Co-generated with ChatGPT, used here as a reflective instrument rather than an author.