Are the mind and the brain the same thing?

Answer 1

NO--the brain is the instrument ---the mind is the performer

Answer 2

I beg to differ by positing that the mind and the brain are the same thing. Lets be realistic--all of these things that make up the "mind" like personality, predisposition, emotions, etc. are contained exclusively within the precise structure and chemistry of the physical brain (though it seems more romantic, there is absolutely no evidence suggesting that we can think or express emotion with our hearts or any other organ besides the brain), and in that respect, there is no real distinction between the two. The concept of a mind separate from the brain is, I believe, an example of humans' tendency to create abstractions that, while can be useful in simplifying ideas, may or may not have real manifestations. It can be very enlightening and paradigm-shifting to create analogies as the other responders have done, but we should be careful that we don't mix the conclusions we jump to about the universe with real facts that can be observed concerning the universe. In short, there is no data concerning the "mind" that cannot be explained in terms of the physical brain. Though modern usage does give "mind" a more emotional connotation than the emotionless "brain," I think this is a case of distinction without difference.

Answer 3

This is probably one of the oldest (and still unsolved) questions in psychology. It is known as the mind/body problem, and was originated by Renes Descartes (known for his statement--I think therefore I am) about 400 years ago.

There are traditionally two viewpoints to this question: (1) the monist view, which states that the mind/brain are the same. This viewpoint is the underlying belief of most modern psychologists and psychiatrists, with the clearest support coming from the impact that drugs (which have an affect on the brain) can have on one's psychological state (i.e., the mind); (2) the dualist viewpoint states that mind/brain are separate. Most persons with religious/spiritual preferences support this viewpoint. In my opinion, the best scientific support for this comes from research showing that people who have had near death experiences (NDEs), who were able to give detailed reports of things that happened to them after being declared clinically brain dead for several minutes.

I think there's probably a third stance to the question that one could call the interactionalist viewpoint. This would essentially suggest that the mind and brain are separate but interacting entities. Basically, this would mean that the soul can influence the body, and the body can influence the soul.

For more about the monist view of the mind/body problem, you can read Francis Crick's book, The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul.

I believe you can find out about the research concerning NDE's from the New England Journal of Medicine. There's an area in psychology devoted to mind/brain/body connections called psychoneuroimmunology that you might be interested in reading about.

Answer 4

No. The brain is a physical object in your head. The mind is the summary of all the activities performed by the brain. You might think of brain as a circuit, and mind as the current in it when it's "on". Or brain as hardware, and mind as software.

Answer 5

No. The brain is the organ that generates the mind. The mind is the pysiological cognitional outcome of the brain.

Answer 6

The mind is a function of the brain, it projects it's own specific individuality. No Brain, no mind.

Answer 7

No. Brain is a physiological term to describe the organ in our cranial skull while the mind is a psychological term to describe the controller of our emotional state.
Scientists and psychologists have been trying to find the links between the two i.e. certain emotions is trigger by certin enzymes or hormones in our body?

Answer 8

No. The brain is merely the container that holds the life that is the mind.

Answer 9

Mind is not the same as the brain,
which is not the same as consciousness,
which is not the same as ego,
which is not the same as personality,
which is not the same as intelligence,
which is not the same as wisdom,
which is not the same as intellect.

We are not this body, this mind, this brain, this intellect, this ego or this personality or these feelings. It takes consciousness, wisdom and true intelligence to find one's true eternal identity beyond matter.

Answer 10

According to the most genius of mankind, no, they are not the same thing... the brain is capable of expression and the mind is full of endless thought!

Answer 11

The brain is the physical structure or the organ.

The mind is generally referred to as the collection of thought processes and cognitions that make us who we are. Basically the mind is our thinking and processing abilities.