Topics Mind

Question How do thoughts interact with the physical universe? Our movements and actions seem to be simple responses to the signals from our brain, but what triggers those neurons? I mean, we –chose - to act. We think “do I want to do this, yes.” Then do it. How is that possible? If it’s possible for immaterial things like thoughts with no apparent location in the physical universe to interact with our neurons then why isn’t it possible for imaginary concepts to interact with other physical catalysts?

Accepted:
April 8, 2009

Comments

You are raising really interesting questions that philosophers debate under the headings of "mental causation," "theory of action," and "free will." One way the problem gets generated is by assuming, as you do, that thoughts (including decisions or intentions) are immaterial things. That's what Descartes said, and ever since, the main objection to his view is your question--how could an immaterial thing causally interact with a physical thing like the brain (and vice versa, since on his view the physical world sends information through the brain to the mind which consciously experiences it--how the heck could that happen?).

The main response to this problem is by giving up your assumption of "dualism" and instead try to understand how thoughts and conscious experiences can be part of the physical world. That's no easy task. But one way to make the initial move in that direction is to see that the idea of non-physical or immaterial thoughts makes no more sense than the idea of physical thoughts. We simply have no clue what an immaterial soul or mind would be or how it would work and we have no idea how we might go about studying immaterial things. On the other hand, we are increasingly understanding how the brain works to produce thoughts, experiences, and actions, and we are beginning to understand how we might study consciousness and action in a way that combines first-person reports about how things seem to us with "hard" science approaches, such as neuroscience.

And if we assume that mental states just are brain states (or perhaps mental states "arise from"--without being distinct from--brain states), then we can begin to answer your question of how thoughts cause actions, since they are all part of the physical system.

Hope this helps!