Are we mind or body?? whats more dominant the mind or the body?

Question

I was asked this question in my philosophy class once. And I could not come up with a good answer. all I remember was an example the teacher gave like why are some people obese or smoke is it because theirbody is stronger than the mind because we know that could damage us and yet we still do it. So then the body is stronger?? what do you think?

See you all contradict each other someone says is the soul and when we die the soul goes to another body then I asked before if we have many lives and some people say we dont that we only have one life so which one is it???

Anuj M you should check my question about many lives and see that is totally different is just the way we ask that makes people answer in a certain way lol

Answer 1

The mind is dominant. It's just that sometimes we let ourselves be controlled by addiction that we tend to not think about something before we do it, even if it is harmful to us, to others or to our environment.

Your professor gave examples of people who let addiction and temporary self gratification take control of their lives. But he has not given examples of the greater number of people who lets their mind rule their bodies.

Consider the reforming drug addicts. The former alcoholics. The chain smokers who quit. The cured anorexics. I could go on and give you hundreds of examples.

Another thing is that when you refer to the body, you are referring not to the body itself but to a part of the mind that controls instincts and desires. It is only the body who acts out those feelings and wants. Therefore, it is still the mind that is the driving force of those actions.

Based from the premises above, we can conclude that the mind is stronger and dominant over the body.

Hope I've helped. (^_^)

Answer 2

We are both. Body - physical, mind - spirit.
I believe that the mind/spirit/soul is stronger than the body. I also believe that the mind partly controls the body. It is the mind that decides to pollute the body with bad food, drink, drugs, cigarettes because of some form of dislike for itself (hence the importance and popularity of therapies). I think if we truly loved ourselves, which takes hard work, we would want to respect our bodies. Also, the mind/body/spirit is considered by some to be eternal. It is our energy and energy cannot be destroyed, but after the body dies, it goes on in another form.
My only real basis for thinking this is what I have read, what 'feels right' and regular deep meditation.

Answer 3

The mind, or aspect of it, is concerned with each different aspect of the frame. Likewise, each aspect of the frame responds to the mind. More, the chemical substances of the frame will difference our ideas, reactions, etc. Pheremones will draw in or repell different persons, hormones will overtake all semblance of intelligence below specified stipulations, the amigdala (within the mind) controls the battle or flight intuition, there may be extra, however I am now not a mind physician.

Answer 4

its a balancing trick with the mind and body.

the body may control 75% of X and 15% of Y, but then the mind may control 25% of X and 85% of Y.

physically and mentally it really depends on the individual. Some people have a strong will and other people don't.

Answer 5

Mary answered and said, "What is hidden from you I will impart to you." And she began to say the following words to them. "I," she said, "I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, 'Lord, I saw you today in a vision.' He answered and said to me, 'Blessed are you, since you did not waver at the sight of me. For where the mind is, there is your countenance' [cf. Matt. 6:21]. I said to him, 'Lord, the mind which sees the vision, does it see it through the soul or through the spirit?' The Savior answered and said, 'It sees neither through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind, which is between the two, which sees the vision, and it is...'"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I took this to say, the soul, or body as most people call it, and the spirit can't work together and use the things they are confronted with without the mind to help them receive and understand them with the tool that makes us "in Gods image", rationale and reason.

Answer 6

we are not the body,
we r the soul.
wen one dies the soul gets transferred from one body to another which results in another birth.
wen one is murdered,the soul becomes ghost till the life span of that body gets completed.
therefore,we r the soul.
and obviously,mind is more dominant.
mind is stronger.
your body just performs the decision coz it is its job.
but the decider is your mind.

Answer 7

obviously its a mind

ur teacher told the story, coz he thinks n observes the things from his mind,
body has sense organ to send the messages to the mind,
and mind makes the final decision to tell the body to what should do and what shouldn't

Answer 8

Hi lol
You did 2 qstns.
I'll try to answer both,but sorry for showing an other
philosophy:-
1_We are not a mind nor a body,we r more then that
We are body(feed,see,hear,touch,taste,smell)
We are mind(judge:bigger,smaller,hurt,sweet
then mathematical concepts,imagination
syllogism,parasyllogism,,,,theories,hypothesis
memory,,,)
We are will(I'll do this,will not do that,,,free)
We are sentiment or conscience
(this is moral,,not moral)
We are soul(which says my body,,,,,my soul:me)
2_domination is as dscrbd below:-
Body asks for pleasure,runs away of pain.
Mind looks for tools and methods of achieving that.
Conscience judges the whole matter as right or wrong
to steal an apple
Will decides (I want to eat NOW the stolen apple,or not)
Soul that collects information with all ways(phisical ,
non-phisical ways)& says its word
3_in our path of life
O_we may stay in BODY phase for all
life(100 years 4 xmpl),just looking for pleasure as we
see in life...
O_and may raise up to MIND phase,listen to music,
study science,debate,paint,watch,,,,
O_and we may raise up,to sympathize other suffering
,give other his rights,judge ourselves,,,,
O_and we may raise up to ACT in this life,due to our
analysing,toughts,vision,,,
O_and be a human being,feel rspsbly twrds life,twrd
otherstwrd past,future,present,twrd visible&invisible
affairs realize ralations b/w us and others,b/w us and
God, realize effects of our deed,believe in
condemnation time...

Prents are rspnsl about body at first,then we do by
means of ourselves and help of specialists(dotor,trainer
Mind is being created by education and by ourselves
Conscience&Will&spirit are a personal matters
some religions asks for strengthening will via fasting as
in Islam that asks muslims to stop some body activities
(eating,drinking,entercoursing,seeing badly ,saying bad
words,,so many bad things) for one month(28-30 days)

Answer 9

Without the body, there is no mind, but the body serves the mind.

Answer 10

When u smoke or perform any other action its not the body that enforces you, its something in your mind that stimulates you to get a satisfaction related to that action.
All our actions performed by our body are controlled by mind.