The Solution to the Mind-body Problem: The Complete Reduction of the Human Mind to Matter, Namely to the Brain
Michael Prost
Sociology and Anthropology April 1, 2017 DOI: 10.13189/sa.2017.050410 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that the human mind is a language-representing neural network fully reducible to matter, so materialism and reductionism are true. Proposes that human consciousness is the capacity to include verbal thinking in conscious processing, and that Global Workspace Theory, Higher Order Thought Theories, and Integrated Information Theory are subsets of this account. |
Abstract
The mind-body problem asks about the specifics of the human mind and its interaction with the body. We will show that what makes the human mind unique is the advanced human language. We will illustrate that some mutations in Homo sapiens enabled us to develop a sophisticated language, which was the basis for the development of advanced abstract thinking. We will show how language and thinking are realized in the brain by neural connections. That leads to the conclusion that the human mind is our language-representing neural network, and can indeed be completely reduced to matter. Materialism and reductionism are true. Actually, the solution of the mind-body problem also explains human consciousness. Human consciousness is the ability of humans to include verbal thinking in conscious processing. A comparison shows that prominent theories of consciousness such as Global Workspace Theory (GWS), Higher Order Thought Theories (HOT) and Integrated Information Theory (IIT) are a subset of our explanation. But all other theories are also applicable to animals with brain, miss the specifics of human consciousness and do not deliver an explanation on a neural level.