Considering the impact of diet on physical, mental, and aesthetic well-being, the author sought to create a comprehensive picture of Dietetics - the art of living - through four books. However, as he wrote, it became clear that something important w...
What we are exploring: Why was the mind located in the brain and where are the roots of this dogma?
What is new: What is the mind and why is it not in the brain?
What we will learn: How does the ability to think interact with psychological events?
1. "Recognizing "mind," "ability," "IQ," or anything else of that sort as the agent responsible for behavior is quackery, and regarding "the brain" as a substitute for "mind" in this capacity is even worse" (Smith N. 2003) [1].
2. The "brain" is a substitute for the "mind"? In modern society, including myself, it is common to think of the brain as the seat of the mind. However, psychology professor Noel W. Smith argues that viewing the brain as a direct substitute for the mind is an even greater mistake than the previous ones since it oversimplifies the complex processes that determine our behavior. In fact, this mistake originated in the 6th - 5th centuries BC under the influence of the teachings of the ancient philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras.
• "The human soul is divided into three parts: mind (nous), reason (phrën), and passion (thymos). The power of the soul extends from the heart to the brain: that part of it that is in the heart is passion, and that in the brain is reason and mind; and the streams from them are our feelings" (author's italics) (Diogenes Laërtius, 1986. Pythagoras. 30) [2].
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Pythagoras' student, philosopher, physician, and scientist Alcmaeon, practicing dissection of the cranial cavity of animals and people, decided that "the dominant principle ["consciousness"] is in the brain", and he further wrote about "the brain (in which the highest and dominant ability of the soul is located)" [3]. Under the strong influence of the teachings of Pythagoras and Alcmaeon, the outstanding philosopher Plato in his famous dialogues substantiated the localization of the mind in the head.
3. Localization of reason in the head? Describing the process of creation of man by the gods, Plato points to the head as "the most divine part of us, ruling over the other parts" [4]. Reason, according to Plato, is "the first and most important of the divine goods" [5]. Thus, the gods created the head to control all man parts. Since the "deified" reason is simultaneously the first and most important * among all parts of the soul, then its location is in the head (brain) - "ruling over the other parts" [6]. Is the reason really located in the head? Before answering this question, it is necessary to answer another question that precedes it. What is the concept of reason in reality?
* According to Plato's theory, there are four great divine goods - reason, a healthy state of mind, justice, and courage. The first place belongs to reason [7]. According to Plato, the soul has three principles - rational, lustful, and furious, which motivate a person to take appropriate actions. When a conflict arises between these principles, the rational principle is the main one, subordinating the lustful and furious principles [4].
4. What does reason mean? To do this, let us turn to ordinary explanatory dictionaries, excluding psychological definitions, which we have already examined to understand the connection between reason and human abilities (V fr. 29. 5, 6). Dictionaries associate the concept of reason with the ability to think, and its other meanings, such as "understanding", "cognition", and "reason" could not exist without the ability to think. So, reason is the ability to think, which is one of the many developed human abilities [8]. Now let us turn to the title of the 3rd paragraph and ask the question again. Is the location of the ability to think in the human head or elsewhere? Despite the widespread belief in scientific circles that reason is generated by the brain, there is no experimental evidence for this statement. There are assumptions, the historical roots of which we have already traced. Scientists who do not adhere to the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers about the location of the mind in the head cite evidence from the practice of treating patients.
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