The Mind
Attempting to focus one's mind in a direction that can be considered
"philosophical" leads one to ask many questions. One such question is that of "the
mind." Ask any grade school student as to where his or her brain is located, and he or
she would have no problem answering. After some questioning, he or she might even be
able to tell the person asking how said brain works, on a very rudimentary level.
Unfortunately, the understanding that this child has and the answers science has deduced
and discovered are not far apart. Very little is understood about how humans think, and
more importantly, if all of the thinking humanity does is solely the product of physical,
neuro-chemical reactions in the brain, or as some tend to think, there is some sort of
non-corporeal mind somehow connected to the physical brain. Throughout the ages, many
philosophers have considered whether we need to posit the existence of non-physical
minds, and the question is just as relevant today.
One philosopher who helps shed light on this problem was Gilbert Ryle, who wrote
about it in his essay, The Ghost In The Machine. Within it he says that "A person . . .
lives through two collateral histories, one consisting of what happens in and to his
body, the other consisting of what happens in and to his mind. The first is public, the
second private. . . ." He goes on to say that "It is customary to express this
bifurcation of his two lives and of his two worlds by saying that the things and events
which belong to the physical world, including his own body, are external, while the
workings of his own mind are internal."
Ryle goes on to say that this distinction between what is internal and what is
external has led many to make some significant philosophical errors. He believes that
many assume what he calls "the dogma of the Ghost in the Machine," or the belief that the
occurrence of mental processes belongs in the same category with the occurrence of
physical processes. He believes that both of these processes occur, but that they are
not of the same sort, and the dogma of the ghost in the machine presupposes them to be of
the same sort.
Ryle's argument works to strengthen the notion of the non-physical mind.
Although his argument gives no definitive answers, it does, at least, give rise to the
possibility of a non-physical mind. He defines the statuses of both physical and mental
existence. "It is a necessary feature of what has physical existence that it is in space
and time, it is a necessary feature of what has mental existence that it is in time but
not in space. What has physical existence is composed of matter, or else is a function
of matter; what has mental existence consists of consciousness, or else is a function of
consciousness." In his mind, he is sure of the existence of a non-physical mind, and,
although arguable, it still gives rise to the possibility that a non-physical mind
exists.
Another philosopher who's writings might serve to clarify is J.J.C. Smart,
especially in his essay, Materialism: The Identity Theory. Within this essay, Smart
first defines materialism as "the theory that there is nothing in the world over and
above those entities which are postulated by physics." He then attempts to theorize as
to how this relates to consciousness. He states that, " . . . immediate experience is
derivative from . . . the external world. Furthermore, since . . . immediate experience
is in terms of a typical stimulus situation, . . . immediate experience is itself neutral
between materialism and dualism. . . . the dualist would construe these goings on as
goings on in an immaterial substance, whereas the materialist would construe these goings
on as taking place inside our skulls." Smart also realizes the possibility of the
non-physical mind as part of the human character. Again, his theories about the
"location" of thought can be argued, and even he i!
s aware of this, but his argument show the importance of it being considered.
Philosophers seem to harbor a desire to remove extraneous information from their
minds, many times because of the difficulties that said information places on already
mentally trying ideas. One such question is that of the non-physical mind. Some
philosophers believe that all a person ever will be is a sum of his corporeal parts, and
that all the thought he or she has are products of his or her brain. On the other hand,
there are philosophers who believe that our personalities are actually caused not only by
physical reactions (i.e. neuro-chemical reactions), but also by an as-of-yet
scientifically undefined area that is somehow outside of the physical body as we now know
it.
As of this time in human evolution, the definitive answer to that question is
still unknown. What humanity has now are simply theories as to how our mind works, and
even where it is located. It can only be considered presumptuous to remove the
possibility of a non-physical mind until that answer is definitively answered.
Therefore, humanity must posit the existence of a non-physical mind until our resources
are such that a definitive, scientific explanation can be given to the workings of the
mind and/or brain, and such explanation proves that our mental processes are solely the
product of the human brain.
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