Distinguishing between mind and brain in philosophy

Mind and the Brain

There are several theories that have been proposed for explaining the relationship between one's mind and brain. If truth be told, it can be said that it is one of the most talked about philosophical fields.

Mind vs. Brain

Mind and brain are interrelated. For a majority of people, there is no difference between the two. Many scientists and philosophers hold the belief that the brain and the mind are one and are inseparable. These two words are mostly used as alternatives of each other. In general, brain is regarded as a physical object whereas mind is considered as a mental thing (Prabhat, 2011).

The brain is made up of hundreds and thousands of nerve cells and blood vessels. On the other hand, mind being an unseen item is not composed of any cells or vessels. Whilst the brain has a distinct shape of its own, the mind does not possess one. The brain can be seen and touched but it is impossible for one to see and feel mind with one's eyes and hands. Similarly, there are a number of materials that makes up the brain and therefore it is possible to study it. In contrast, it is not easy to research on mind as it is not composed of any physical material. The brain, as an organ, holds a vital position in the human body as it is here that all the functions and activities go on (Prabhat, 2011).

The brain is the centre of the nervous system and it is because of this important body organ that all the movements, thoughts and feelings are coordinated. However, these movements are made possible and thoughts are felt through the mind. It is the mind that is used by human beings to sense, feel and act in response. In simple words, it is the mind through the use of which an individual becomes capable to understand stuff and uses his/her sense of right and wrong. The thought process of a person is also dependent on his/her mind. In the same manner, the brain has a specific position in the head whereas the mind is only considered to be somewhere in the brain. Diseases, tumors and other mental illnesses can affect the brain whereas such complications cannot influence the mind (Prabhat, 2011).

Thus, brain is a physical thing that eyes can see and that can be snapped by a camera or operated in surgery. In contrast, the mind is not a material object. The eyes cannot see it nor can it be taken pictures of or surgically repaired. The brain, for that reason, cannot be considered as but a part of the body. It is not an untold secret that nothing in our body can be labeled as being our mind simply because the body and mind of a person are different units. This is obvious because sometimes when the body is in a state of relaxation and stationary, the mind can be full of activity, scurrying from one point to another (Gyatso, 2012).

Mind

Mind is extremely important for a person. Human beings use it for thinking, selecting, and for experiencing their surroundings. Mind is the home to one's values, wishes, beliefs, hopes, uncertainties, memories and misgivings. It houses one's feelings of hurt and contentment, love and hate, ecstasy and melancholy. However, mind is not a simple vessel that stores one's feelings and emotions. It is used by humans for thinking, discovering and comprehending. The mind plays a significantly vigorous role in turning the stimulus of one's sensory nerves into image, acoustic, and tangible experiences. This is the reason why a good number of philosophers believe that the mind of an individual determines who he/she really is.

In general, it seems unnecessary to define mind as it is so essential to us. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, mind can be defined as "the collective conscious and unconscious processes in a sentient organism that direct and influence mental and physical behaviour" (as qtd. In Knierim). By this definition, it becomes clear that mind is attributed to responsive organisms and is recognized with processes that through which behavior is controlled. The contemporary scientific research categorizes them to brain and nerve processes along with cognitive, motor and sensory ones (Knierim).

Nearly every one thinks of mind as a stockroom of thoughts and reminiscences. In fact, people assume mind as that place where the world is experienced. Some people consider it a movie screen placed in the head and one that plays a nonstop film with them as the main characters. Others suppose it a computer that instructs them what to think and make things easier for them. The question is: How are the mind and the brain related? If the answer is not thought of deeply, the simplest reply would be that it doesn't matter what the mind is, it just happens to be within the brain. As already mentioned, brain is where little electrical signals move around to combine our worldly experiences i.e. our thoughts, ideas, dreams, emotions, feelings and recollections (Carreira, 2011).

The truth is that no one has any idea that how this squishy grey object under our cranium has to do with our experience of mind. Despite the sparkling scientific and technological advancements, scientists and thinkers have not been successful in identifying the relationship between the two. Theories have been put forwarded but every theory seemed to have a drawback and answered questions. Therefore, the finest approach that can be taken to understand the mind is to look at its purposefulness and efficiency for the human beings (Carreira, 2011).

Firstly, it is because of mind that man is allowed to have an interaction with the world. Mind grows correlating with the world and simply exists in association with it. It is a completely wrong assumption that mind exists in the brain. Though some brain functionalities are certainly linked with the mind but assuming that it has a place in mind is totally ridiculous. The theory that seems most sensible is that "mind exists partly with the brain, but also in the body, in our body's interaction with the world, and in the world itself" (Carreira, 2011).

In actual fact, human beings and the world are in a continuing and self organizing relationship because of mind. In his book, Out of Our Heads, Dr. Noe asks us to not consider mind as a movie screen or computer but as a dance. He explains it by saying that if a person goes to a dance party and someone asks him where the dance is, it would be an odd question. He says that the brain does not have the dance even though the brains of the dancers would be involved with the dance. Moreover, the dance would not be in the body of a single dancer though the bodies of all the dancers would be involved in the performance. It simply means that the dance would be considered as the sole interacting event as it would exist in "relationship with all of the dancers and the stage and the costumes and the scenery" (Carreira, 2011).

Similarly, mind should not be looked for in the brain. The reason is simple. The mind is the entire interactive experience of human beings existing in association with the world. Mind cannot be considered a thing because it is an accomplishment as the dance is. In simple words, mind is rather an act including the occurrences that happen under our cranium. However, it cannot be restricted to them (Carreira, 2011).

Mind is, in fact, a shapeless continuum whose function is to identify, observe, distinguish and understand objects. Due to its characteristic of shapelessness by nature, the nature is not hindered by objects that are physical in nature. It is also essential to understand mind because in order to liberate from one's suffering, mind peacefulness is crucial. Permanent liberation is dependent on the purification of mind. For that reason, if a person wants to become liberated from evils, harms, troubles and tribulations of the world, it is essential for him/her to increase his/her awareness and perception of the mind (Gyatso, 2012).

Conclusion

To cut a long story short, the brain can be simply understood as an organ of nervous tissue that fills up the lower part of humans and other vertebrates' skulls. In contrast, the mind is the essential element of a person that enables him/her to be attentive, conscious and responsive of the world and the experiences the world offers. It is simply a faculty of awareness, realization, perception, contemplation, thoughts and reflection. By observing the relationship of mind and brain, it can thus be said that the mind is an 'embryonic property' of the brain. In addition, the mind does not come before the brain but after it because "the mental events are the subjective experiences of the physical events which occur in our brains" (Clark). As a result, the mind is not anything more than the sensation of 'being me at the moment' (Clark).

However, the fact that mind and brain are correlated cannot be denied. The reason is simple and can be justifies by empirical evidence. For instance, when the brain is injured, the injuries can have a remarkable impact on the mental life of the affected individual that affect his/her capability to reason, recollect, and make out. In some severe cases, such brain injuries can everlastingly change the individual's personality traits. Similarly, chemical changes in the brain can cause a huge difference to one's temper, emotions, opinions and decisions. Moreover, brain death can be caused by severe brain injuries. An individual who has a dead brain loses his/her consciousness and mental functions and such a state is irretrievable and irremediable (McGinn, 1996).

Neurophysiologists also emphasize on the fundamentality of the brain and its activities as determinants of a person's mental life. It's reasonable to assume that everything that takes place in mental life has a condition of the brain as its contiguous physical base. There is undeniable and convincing evidence for the idea that the very existence of the frame of mind depends on the subsistence of proper neural structures. In simple words, it means that the whole mental life of an individual would be lost if all the molecules making up his/her brain are carted off (McGinn, 1996).

According to Leibniz, "the mind and the body are in a "pre-established harmony," rather like the clocks that were synchronized by the shopkeeper in the morning, with God having started off our minds and bodies in a harmonious relationship" (McGinn, 1996).

The brain has networks and circuits that are formed by the neural connections. These neural connections are indispensable for the existence of the mind. By a common rule, the damage to the brain means damage to the mind. The mind should be considered a multifaceted function. It can be said that it is "an algebraic sum of many functions of the brain" (Hansotia, 2003). Moreover, consciousness and cognition are the crucial constituents exclusive of whom the further traits of mind do not seem to be scheduled (Hansotia, 2003).

The studies, research and evidences concludes that the brain is the appendage of the mind and that the excellence of the mind is dependent on the excellence of the brain (Hansotia, 2003). However, it is important to mention here that mind has not evolved from matter. The features of mind cannot be concentrated to the features of brain. It is not the brain that is dominant but mind. The functions of the brain are used by the mind to communicate and convey thoughts.

Concluding the whole debate, it is obvious that brain and mind are separate entities yet related to each other in a number of ways with distinctive functions and qualities of their own. To say that both are same is wrong because they perform different functions and activities.