The regress objection assumes each higher-order cognition must itself be conscious, but HOT theory requires only that the higher-order state represent the first-order state, not that it be independently conscious.

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First-order state(in philosophy of mind): A direct experience or thought itself, as opposed to thinking about that experience; for example, feeling pain rather than thinking about the pain.
HOT theory(the main theory being discussed): HOT stands for 'Higher-Order Thought' theory—the idea that you become conscious of something only when you have a thought *about* that thing (a second-level thought about a first-level experience).
Regress objection(as a philosophical criticism of conventionalism): A logical problem where you have to keep asking the same question over and over with no end in sight—like saying 'but why is that true?' and getting an answer that just leads to the same question again.
higher-order cognition(as used in philosophy of mind): Thinking about your own thoughts—like when you're aware that you're thinking about something, rather than just thinking about it directly.
represent(explaining the relationship between ideas and objects): To stand in for or correspond to something else; in this case, how a thought in your mind can be about an object without physically containing it.

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