If we are
ever to understand the mind-brain relationship, it is important to ask the
right questions. If we are to model the
workings up there in the head, it is important to create a model of those
workings. Only in that manner can we
suggest tests toward validity and reliability.
If we deny functionality of the mind-brain operations, there becomes a
muddle most difficult to fathom.
Therefore, assuming functionality, upon which nature seems to operate in
most venues, we note for the mind and brain the following capacities: recognizing,
learning, remembering, abstracting, rejecting, and focusing. There are more, but these are most important
for a first go. There is yet another
aspect of the mind-brain, that of spiritualism.
From the atheist to the most devout believer, most all persons consider
themselves to be “spiritual,” that is having a capacity beyond the mere biological
firing of neurons and the like.
Of course,
there is the perennial nagging issue of consciousness, like what on earth is
it? Many have attempted to locate this most
interesting aspect of humans. It has eluded all. For the time being, we will
simply assume it to be an artifact of the massive complexity of mind-brain
interactions. Self-organization of
complex systems is at once obvious to those having studied such systems, but
elusive in that there is seemingly no “locale” where it resides. Another most
important issue is scale. There have
been conjectures involving consciousness (and mind-brain operations) spanning
the quantum, molecular, cellular, and even mechanical scales of description,
together with the electromagnetic and chemical scales of physical processes. Therefore, the questions below must be
classified as to scale. That said, and noting the difficulty of just this, it
may never be possible to determine a working model of mind and brain that spans
all such scales.
There is
every reason to believe the mind-brain constitutes a combined
cooperative-competitive system. Competitive, yes, because of the main brain processes
each desiring limited resources. Cooperative,
yes, because the brain processes must be harnessed in such a way to accomplish
tasks, from the most primitive to complex.
Our first
attempt will be to set some questions, upon which the constructed model might encompass. Difficult though they are, any model must address
them - eventually.
- How does the mind focus on tasks and how does it remain focused on them?
- How does the mind allocate brain resources to accomplish tasks.
- How does the brain processes limit or allocate resources to its various subsystems?
- How can we measure the various capacities of brain subsystems
- What is the latency of excited brain systems before returning to their natural state?
- How to measure the intensity of brain systems and how the mind can excite them.
- How does the mind abstract events to apply its learning from a specific to future events?
- How does the mind form expectations or anticipation of future events?
- How does the mind or brain distinguish conflicting stimuli, rejecting the one and focusing upon the other? Put another way, how do we selectively attend to events that particularly interest us?
- Which of the brain parameters are under objective control by the mind – or brain?
- How does the brain recall information? Alternatively, how does the brain organize information?
- What is consciousness?
- Will there ever evolve a model of the mind-brain that will permit one key point of valid scientific theories – predictability?
- How can we account for a spiritual experience?
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