Mind-Brain Case

According to Friedenberg and Silverman (2006) the mind-brain question is among the most enduring issues in man's quest for knowledge and wisdom and can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. Hergenhahn (2009) notes, while philosophers such as Plato and Hippocrates vigorously pursued the mind-body dichotomy, it was Descartes who first proposed a systematic interpretation of the mind-body question. Most tensions and questions raised on the mind-body issue can be conceptualized in several distinct schools of thought. This paper examines major schools of thought on the mind-brain relationship and explores the various approaches scientists use to explore the mysteries of the mind. The paper will also opine and defend the position that the mind acts as perceptual phenomena of the brain. Science has made great strides in explaining the external world, that which can be observed (Friedenberg & Silverman, 2006). While there have been remarkable breakthroughs in understanding our mental world, unanswered questions persist with the arrival of new and more perplexing questions. According to Taatgen and Anderson (2010) explaining the human mind is one of science's remaining quests for knowledge. The cognitive science approach to theory of the mind engages an interdisciplinary approach to study the mind-brain issues, merging artificial intelligence, neuroscience, philosophy, and other sciences (Friedenberg & Silverman). Mental representations, the mind-body problem, consciousness and higher cognitive processes such as memory are at the heart of cognitive science. Cognitive science must answer fundamental questions about the interconnections of billions of neurons. Hence, it would be difficult to exaggerate the influence of cognitive science in unraveling the mysteries of the mind.