Mind is the ability of a human being to think analytically, to perceive and judge his environment consciously. Mind is also always associated with reason.
What is the mind?
The mind is the ability of a human being to think analytically, to perceive and judge his environment consciously. Since ancient times, philosophers have been dealing with the subject of mind. People with mind are able to think analytically, to perceive their environment consciously and to judge, classify and make rational decisions. Mind is also closely related to the concept of reason. In the fourth century B.C., Aristotle defined understanding as the “faculty of conceptual and reasoning thought.” Modern philosophy with Immanuel Kant defines Verstand as the “faculty of concept formation.” Medically and psychologically, mind is the thinking power of a human being who is able to put his intelligence above natural impulse. Through analytical thinking and the ability to understand, he knows the meaning of concepts and words and has a strong imagination.
Function and task
The term mind is also related to the term Homo Sapiens, which means “rational human being”. Mind is often contrasted with reason, because people with a well-developed mind usually also react rationally and make rational decisions. Mind means “to understand, form concepts, draw conclusions, judge, and think.” People have common sense when they are able to grasp causal relationships and think logically and in complex ways. The prerequisite for this process is to recognize the “principle of cause and effect” and to grasp processes logically and implement them dialectically. Other pillars of the mind are intellect, flexibility and creativity. People with intellect have the ability to take in and judge mental and sensual contents. This includes reason as a higher faculty of cognition, which does not refer to the cognition of a single context, but to several contexts. Logic is the doctrine of consequentialism, where pure logic includes the doctrine of “concept, judgment, and conclusion,” while applied logic is the doctrine of “definition, proof, and method.” Further, there is the reactive mind, which is based on a stimulus-response foundation. This part of the mind is not consciously controlled, but performs a directed response to a specific stimulus. The reactive mind is not under the volitional control of the human being, which exercises command over consciousness. However, the mind is not a part of the human being that acts alone, but is closely connected to the body and soul. Human agency, however, is controlled not only by the mind but also by emotions, for only in this way is it possible to make complex decisions based on intuitive experiential knowledge through rational thought. The mind and thus reason are located in the frontal lobe. When a person thinks rationally about a problem, considers the pros and cons, and arrives at a decision on this basis, he or she uses the frontal cortex, which is called the prefrontal cortex. The interconnection of the frontal cortex and the limbic system proves how closely mind, reason and emotions are linked. The limbic system is responsible for controlling emotions. In the past, brain research assumed that people always make their decisions rationally according to the principle of costs and benefits and try to achieve maximum profit for themselves. However, recent research has concluded that the influence of the prefrontal cortex on the human mind has been overestimated. It is now clear that people also make decisions based on emotions without thinking about probabilities and benefits. Affective actions are based on a strong emotional state and are not made rationally and reasonably. The limbic system of the brain takes over these decisions based on feelings, aligning physiological signals and situational context. The core area of the limbic system is the amygdala.It recognizes situations that are disadvantageous for people, for example, situations involving danger, and protects them from making the wrong decisions. In this situation, people often make decisions that are not controlled by the rational mind, but by emotions and affect actions. The amygdala also contains the reward system. The nucleus accumbens stirs in a situation people perceive as positive, while the insular cortex kicks in when a situation is perceived as negative. Thus, this part of the brain stirs whenever people perceive something as unfair and detrimental to them.
Diseases and discomfort
There are also numerous diseases associated with the mind. The diseases that most affect the ability to think analytically, form concepts, make judgments, and make decisions are dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which affect many people as they get older. Affected people have memory problems; their brains are no longer able to absorb, process and store information. This brain disease is not only accompanied by memory disorders, but usually also by behavioral disorders. Patients can no longer perform important, everyday tasks on their own and are dependent on the help of other people. They often become nursing cases. Other diseases that can affect the mind are depression, neuroses, perceptual and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Affected individuals may be limited in their rational and emotional thinking to the point that their daily lives are restricted in a significant way and medical therapy is absolutely necessary to restore normalcy or at least alleviate the symptoms.
