Mind
Themindis a general term for the way apersonthinks,reasons,perceives, wills, hasideas,and hasemotion.For science, what others call the mind isentirelycaused by workings of thebrain.The philosopherGilbert Rylecalled mind the "Ghost in the Machine".He said the idea that it was separate from the brain was the mistaken" Official Doctrine ".[1][2]However, some think that mind is separate from the body and is called asoul(seedualism).
Many people argue about what makes up the mind. Some say that only reason andmemoryare part of the mind, because they are conscious. In this view theemotionslikelove,hate,fearandjoyare different from the mind. Some people with this view say the emotions are part of theheart.Others argue that ourrationalandemotionalstates cannot be separated and should all be part of what we call the mind.
People often usemindto mean the same asthought:the way we talk to ourselves "inside our heads". This is where the sayings "make up our minds," "change our minds" and "of two minds" come from. One of the important things of the mind in this sense is that it is private. No one else can "know our mind."
History of the word
[change|change source]The original meaning of theOld Englishgemyndwasmemory.This explains the sayingscall to mind,come to mind,keep in mind,to have mind of,and so on.Old Englishhad other words to express what we call "mind" today, such ashyge,meaning "mind, spirit". The word mind gradually grew to mean all conscious thought over the 14th and 15th centuries.[3]
Studying the mind
[change|change source]Aspects of the mind
[change|change source]Thoughtis when we absorb what happens around us so that we can deal with it effectively according to our plans and desires. Thinking is usinginformation,like formingconcepts,problem solving,reasoningand makingchoices.
Memoryis when we store information in our minds, and can laterrecallit.
Imaginationis the ability to invent worlds inside the mind, complete or not. The mind makes these by drawing on experience in the shared world.
Consciousnessis knowing that we exist and the world exists, and being able to understand what happens around us.
Mental health
[change|change source]Just like the body, a mind can be healthy. The measure of this is called mental health. According to theWorld Health Organization(WHO), there is not one way to measure mental health in all people, because there are many things in ourenvironmentthat might make what is mentally healthy different from one person to another. In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "mental illness"are not opposites. In other words, not having a mental illness does not mean you are in good mental health.
One way to study mental health is by looking at how well a person lives. Signs of mental health include: feelingcapableand happy, being able to handle normal levels of stress, making and keeping friends, leading an independent life, and being able to recover from difficult situations.
Philosophy
[change|change source]Philosophy of mindis the branch ofphilosophythat studies the nature of the mind and how it is linked to the body. The main problem is how the mind is related to the body, but there are also questions about the nature of the mind that do not talk about its relation to the physical body.[4]
Dualismandmonismare the two main ways people try to solve the mind-body problem. Dualism is when people believe that the mind and body are in some way separate from each other. It can be traced back toPlato,[5]Aristotle,[6][7][8]and theSamkhyaandYogaschools ofHinduphilosophy,[9]but it was most precisely formulated byRené Descartesin the 17th century.[10]
Monismis the belief that mind and body are notphysiologicallyandontologicallydistinct kinds of entities. This view was first seen inWestern philosophybyParmenidesin the 5th century BC and was later held by the 17th-centuryrationalistBaruch Spinoza.[11]According to Spinoza, mind and body are two parts of a larger being.
Idealiststhink that the mind is all that exists and that the outside world is actually made up by the mind. Physicalists think that everything can be expressed by what isphysical.Neutral monistsbelieve that everything can be eithermentalor physical depending how you see it. For example, a red spot on a wall is physical, because it is an actual thing depending on the physical wall, but it is mental because our brain responds to thecolour.The most common monisms in the 20th and 21st centuries have all been different kinds of physicalism, includingbehaviorism.[1][2][4]
Psychology
[change|change source]Psychologyis the study of the way we think, feel and act. It involves thescientific studyof processes such asperception,cognition,feelings,personality,as well as things around us that might affect the way we think. From this study, psychologists try to form rules for why we act the way we do. Psychology also includes using thisknowledgeto help solve problems of everyday life and treatmental healthproblems.
Social psychology and group behaviour
[change|change source]Social psychology is the study of how we think, feel and act in groups of other people. Most people who study social psychology are eitherpsychologistsorsociologists.
Mind's eye
[change|change source]The phraseMind's eyerefers to the ability toseethings with the mind.
Related pages
[change|change source]References
[change|change source]- ↑1.01.1Ryle, Gilbert. 1949.The concept of mind.London: Hutchinson. p15–18 The absurdity of the official doctrine.ISBN0-226-73295-9
- ↑2.02.1Pinker, Steven 2002.The blank slate: the modern denial of human nature.London/New York: Putnam Penguin. Chapter 1 The official theory: p8–11.ISBN0-670-03151-8
- ↑OED;etymonline
- ↑4.04.1Kim J. 1995. Mind–Body problem. InOxford Companion to Philosophy,Ted Honderich (ed), Oxford University Press.
- ↑Plato (Duke E.A.et aleds) 1995.Phaedo.Oxford University Press.
- ↑Robinson H. 1983. Aristotelian dualism.Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy1,123–44.
- ↑Nussbaum M.C. 1984. Aristotelian dualism.Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy2,197–207
- ↑Nussbaum M.C. and Rorty A.O. 1992.Essays on Aristotle's De Anima.Oxford University Press.
- ↑Sri Swami Sivananda (3 November 2020)."Sankhya:Hindu philosophy: The Sankhya".
- ↑Descartes, René (1998).Discourse on Method and meditations on first philosophy.Hacket.ISBN0-87220-421-9.
- ↑Spinoza, Baruch (1670)Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.