In-active inference: contemplative practice as an (auto-)epistemic process

The text proposes that contemplative practices such as meditation can be understood as an active process of inference, where the practitioner actively shapes their own sensory and cognitive experiences to reduce uncertainty and align with prior beliefs. This reframes meditation not as passive observation but as an auto-epistemic process—a self-directed form of learning and model updating. The argument draws on the active inference framework from neuroscience, suggesting that contemplative practices involve the deliberate manipulation of one's own predictions and sensory evidence to achieve a more coherent and less surprising internal model of the world.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In-active inference: contemplative practice as an (auto-)epistemic process