 But now, if this awareness of awareness is an episode of higher-order awareness (as the HOA theorist intends it to be), then there will be a regress (KKh 45–46). Unless the HOA theorist posits an infinite hierarchy of awareness-episodes, by the awareness-existence principle, no rational agent will be able to ascertain the existence of her initial awareness-episode, and therefore also won’t be able to ascertain the existence of its object. Since that’s bad, the HOA theorist has to accept the conclusion that at least all object-directed conscious awareness-episodes of rational agents involve awareness of themselves. But if the HOA theorist is comfortable with this conclusion, it might just be better for her to accept the more general thesis that all awareness-episodes (or even conscious mental occurrences) involve awareness of themselves.