January: What is the Mind?
In the early 1600’s a philosopher, Rene Descartes prompted questions about, what the mind was and how it connects to the body. The concept is called mind-body dualism. His conclusion was that the mind existed outside of the body. Summed in one his famous quotes, “I think, therefore I am”. Do you think that there is something like the "mind", which is separate from the brain? Or does mind simply = brain function? This is a concept that I have long pondered and considered myself, I came up with an idea accounting for as many of the variables in which each theory was defined. It was hard for me to say that our mind doesn’t exist outside of our brain, especially since pinpointing and understanding how the “mind” actually works is still a mystery to science. Even with all the developments into AI and computer hardware, which is largely based off human memory concepts and neuroscience, little has yet to shed light fully onto what gives humans a mind/consciousness. One of the most concerning variables was, how do you explain brain damage as it relates to the mind? As we all know, head trauma and brain damage can change how a brain functions, ultimately who you “are” changes. Yet, what could explain that change if your mind didn’t live inside of your brain, but instead outside of it? What if, your brain worked as more of an antenna or receiver of your mind/consciousness, versus actually housing the mind in its entirety? If our consciousness was something that existed outside of brain, it would make sense to me that our bodies and brain are the receivers of this consciousness. So, if we think of ourselves like a radio and our brain the antenna, we pick up and relay our “mind” through this interaction. Our brain receives and interprets the signals as our “mind”. This idea gives possible explanations to why the function of your body and brain effects the connection to the mind. If your radio (the body) become damaged, the output may not be as effective or as strong as the actual incoming signal (the mind). To have optimal output, the condition of the radio must be maintained to operate effectively. This idea explains why our bodies need a healthy diet and exercise to operate and perform at the level in which we can effectively carry out the goal of our mind. The brain goes by those same guidelines, if the antenna (the brain) becomes damaged, the signal will not be effectively received regardless of how operable the body may still be. This concept could explain why you see changes in a person and why the world is perceived differently after function of the brain has changed. The signal is still being received but are all the same parts of the brain receiving and interpreting the signal, in turn those changes affect how that person’s mind and consciousness operate.
The way that I define the mind is often synonymously with consciousness, and I similarly often conceptualize it as the same thing. This to me, is our personality, our focus, the spotlight controlling our perceptual attention. It’s what allows humans to interpret, question, and perceive. Our minds separate us each from one another making us each unique to how we perceive the world around us. It’s what defines thought and understanding.
Next Month, I will be looking into what it means to have “free will”. I hope you all enjoy the first of many posts questioning reality, consciousness, and spirituality. My goal is to give you the tools and knowledge to manifest your reality on the road to enlightenment. Remember every potential is possible and love is eternal.
- John Sarti III -