This text from 1966 explores the definition of noetics as a reflection of the process of knowing. The author emphasizes that noetics is not primarily a set of instructions or a manual for acquiring knowledge; rather, it is a theoretical attempt to interpret what occurs during the act of cognition. Unlike metaphysics, noetics does not focus on speculation regarding the principles and foundations of knowledge, but on the analysis of the actual cognitive process. While it is possible to gain knowledge without prior noetic assumptions, such knowledge is characterized by a lack of awareness regarding its own mechanisms. The text argues that cognitive practice already contains inherent principles that can be retrospectively analyzed, isolated, and explicitly formulated. Thus, noetics serves as a tool for the retrospective understanding and clarification of processes that are implicitly present in cognition. This reflexive nature of noetics allows for a transition from unconscious knowing to a conscious grasp of the structures of human reason and its interaction with reality.