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The mind has been an object of study for thousands of years. The mind-body or mind-brain problem is approached within philosophy of the mind but more generally metaphysics. It is the study of the relationship between mental phenomena and the bodily or brain basis of those phenomena. Creationists hold to a dualist view of the mind-body problem so that the mind is distinct from the human body or what should be referred to more specifically as the brain. Also, the mind within the disciplines of philosophy and psychology is usually used as a synonym for the word soul which carries more of a theological connotation.



Mind-body Problem


A common sense human experience is that the mind is abstract. It is first-hand knowledge gained by introspection on the mind, a personal experience on a constant basis. Witnessing intense and vivid images and concepts within the mind it becomes clear that it is a private experience by individuals. Dualism gives the mind stark contrast when compared to the brain. On the other hand, the public or scientific experimentation of the brain is second-hand. In this mode of observation of the mind-body problem, the practice essentially produces and critically analyzes wave-like patterns of lines that represent actual brain activity.

Monists in distinct opposition to a dualist view, hold that both the mind and the brain are purely physical. Materialism underpins and provides the fundamental view of the mind-body problem. Accordingly the human mind is nothing but the activity of complex biochemical processes happening in the brain. When a person dies physically their mind ceases to exist because it to is reduced to matter.



Monism vs. Dualism



Main Article: Materialism



Main Article: Dualism



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