Brain, Mind and Soul — Are They Isolated or Incorporated?
I recently played the quite hyped and popular game called “Cyberpunk 2077” ; an RPG game. The game has its issues, but what kept me intrigued throughout my playthrough is its fascinating storyline.
It takes place in a futuristic society where humans and cyberware modifications go hand in hand. A small time mercenary called “V” found himself in a failed heist to steal a biochip. In a desperate attempt to preserve it from being damaged, he installed it in his head. But the catch is, the biochip already contained the psyche of another mercenary called Johnny Silverhand who has been dead for the past 50 years. Now, the newly installed psyche is overtaking V’s and unless he finds a way to save himself, his identity and personality will be totally replaced by Johnny’s and he will cease to exist.
An interesting story isn’t it? It felt like a mind-boggling storyline likely to be found in a Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie. The game stated that a person can be resurrected by preserving his consciousness and using it in another body that will act as a host. The brain will act as the receptor and slowly integrate the soul with the new body.
Is that how it really works? I mused for a while regarding the concept of brain, mind, and soul. Well, the existence of mind and brain as separate identities is quite established. But things get more interesting when the third element- the soul enters the discussion. This trifecta has kept philosophers and scientists busy throughout the ages and has built the foundations of modern neuroscience.
Brain- The Central Processing Unit
Let’s start with the brain. It is the central processing system of our body containing cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem that is responsible for all the functions. This three-pound organ can be further divided into two hemispheres- left and right. In general, the left hemisphere being responsible for our cognitive ability and the right hemisphere is responsible for our creative prowess.
According to medical science, this is where most of the important and complex body functions take place. All the thought processing, memory formation, critical thinking, etc. to name a few. Erasistratus, a notable Greek neuroanatomist directly related the intelligence of a person to the number of complex convolutions in the brain. Although it was met with harsh criticisms by the likes of Galen, it is one of the popular theories of neuroscience.
Mind- The Human Consciousness
What about the mind then? Well, if we take the dictionary meaning into account, the mind is quite similar to the brain. It is defined as a part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, understands, and remembers; basically, all the cognitive functions. René Descartes thought of it as a part of the brain that is hosted in the pineal gland near its center.
In Yoga, the mind is associated with a broader aspect which is our consciousness. Yogic philosophies consider the mind needing an anchoring object to hold on to express itself in one’s awareness. It is then subdivided into 5 objects which are- thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, and impulses. It can be deduced that if the mind needs an anchoring object, it is a different part where the brain is most likely the anchor.
Interestingly, memory here is the driving factor of the other four objects and according to Abhidhamma philosophies, is a combined mechanism of brain and mind and is represented as an internal neural function.
In the extended mind thesis, prominent philosophers Clark and Chalmers argued that mental states such as beliefs can be located externally. They gave an interesting example where a character named Otto with Alzheimer’s disease, stores info in his diary. The diary functions as an extended part of his memory and he has to constantly consult it to keep the link strong. The info becomes a conscious belief in his mind only when he looks at them, but not before that. It is similar to the thoughts in our brain which only becomes conscious when we call them to our mind. They stated, “… it is mere prejudice to suppose that all cognition must take place within the confines of the organism’s skin and skull.”
Soul- Only a Spiritual Concept?
Prominent Greek philosopher Plato correlated the soul with different anatomical parts. His tripartite theory concluded that human souls are formulated as a fusion of the immortal soul, the soul of nourishment, and the soul of feelings. The immortal soul is localized to the head and the following two are placed around the liver and in the chest respectively.
The human soul is defined in various ways in multiple theories. Despite the nuances, none of them establishes soul as a part of the brain and mind, but as a separate entity.
St. Augustine, one of the early champions of Christian theology (354 CE–430 CE), described the soul as “a special substance, endowed with reason, adapted to rule the body”. Many believe that soul is the special attribute that makes humans stand out from other creations.
In the eastern philosophies, the soul is placed higher than body and mind claiming anything experienced in the realm of the soul as the highest and absolute form of experience. Although regarded as part of the body, it is given the ability to transcend beyond and merge with the universe acting as an extension.
If we compare these definitions with the narrative of the game Cyberpunk 2077, we can conjecture that the very thing that was stored in that biochip termed as psyche was the soul. It was stored in the form of codes being a part of a universal hub and later confined in another body as part of an individual.
What do we use to think?
The common answer would be the brain. But the perceptual model is the reason behind it. Since we see the world with our eyes and ears and process it in our brains, it might look that way. But what if the brain was separated from our body keeping all the neural connections intact? Would you still consider your brain as a part of the head?
There is no doubt that energy is required for thinking. And according to the first law of thermodynamics energy can’t be created or destroyed rather it can be transformed from one form to the other. So the brain is the carrier of the energy. But where does it come from?
Well, the brain does produce energy and according to the German brain researcher and biochemist Henning Beck, it amounts to 20 watts. This energy comes from glucose intake and it is regulated by the hypothalamus of the brain.
But there are evidences of people suffering from brain damage still being able to think rationally. Although depending on the extent of the damage, their capability of thinking rationally is affected, they are still able to produce the necessary means to think. Accepting for the sake of argument that they need additional energy to make up for the damage, what generates it? In this case, many indicate that the soul harnesses the energy as it can act as an extension of the brain and part of the universe itself.
The common understanding is the brain, mind, and soul act as a coupled system and does the thinking part together in a complex meshed system. The whole process is better understood when they are perceived together rather than as separate functions.
Concluding Thoughts
The concepts of brain, mind, and soul are quite intricate and often overlapping. As we have seen, throughout the centuries many theories have evolved from various schools of thought. With the advancement of neuroscience and AI, there is a possibility that we might see a technology that will replace the human brain. If that happens this entire discussion regarding brain, mind, and soul is bound to take a dramatic turn that we can only imagine from a distant (or near?) past.
But my understanding is yes, they are indeed isolated with respective functions, however, the physical placements of the latter two yet remain a mystery.
References:
The Extended Mind, Clark and Chalmers
Soul, mind, brain: Greek philosophy of neuroscience, Crivellato & Ribatti
