Mind and Matter

We as ordinary people conceive ourselves as existing in this world where various objects also exist together with us, like a tree, a building or a television set and the like. These things exist independently and we are conscious of their existence. We can quantify and qualify these objects. We can understand the nature of these objects.

This idea obviously does not give an answer to the question, "Why things are as they are?" What a thing seems is no different from what a thing actually is. But as we inspect our mind we find that there are things we experience which do not exist anywhere. In dreams and hallucinations we see things that evolve in our minds, though these may have their roots in things that we are conscious of. In dreams we also see things, which we can never locate in the material world. Thus there is a world outside our material world. Here comes the mind. Such a non-material world exists in our mind only.

Here comes the word "idea". If we think of our consciousness as mere ideas upon which we construct everything, the whole affair seems to become a lot easier. Ideas do arise out of our acquaintance with the material objects as well as out of non-material objects evolving out of our minds. Ideas arise out of our minds, which may have different states at different times.

Thus mind and matter can be regarded as constituent elements of the Absolute, which is the only real thing left in the universe. All material and living beings are merely parts of that Absolute. This is called Idealism. Idealists put forward the doubt that external existence of objects, away from the mind, is at all possible or not. Even if such external existence is possible, it can never be known in its true form.

By Realism we mean that objects are independent. They are not related to one another. It is basically the common sense view of the world.(Discussed above in Paragraph 1) By relations we mean internal relations, which are not known and not seen.

Knowledge stands in between mind and matter. But knowledge is not the only bridge that connects mind and matter. Actually knowledge may get qualified by our mind itself, keeping us somewhat away from the real knowledge. Knowledge, real or ideal, gives rise to ideas.

When mind is in the present, we perceive the object.
When mind is in the past, we perceive in memory.
When mind is in the future, we perceive in anticipation.

Mind must find some object or event or happening to think over, to ponder upon. If all matter, or event constituted of matter vanishes, mind also ceases to exist, but only in dreams and hallucinations.

Thus perception is a process where the mind enjoys the company of an object. The object influences the mind through the sense organs, which causes the brain to project or generate characteristics of the object as its data. Different people may perceive the same object in different ways and thus generate different knowledge about the object. However, some element of error in knowledge might creep in. That way truth may be frustrated.

The mind looks at the world from its own standpoint peculiar to itself. The world seen by one mind is surely different from that seen by another mind. Also, whether seen or not, the world exists in its own form, with innumerable views of the same world from different places. Whether any such view is occupied by a mind or not that is not known. Thus an external reality is established which is not mental.

When a view is experienced by a mind it becomes a "private world" of that mind. When all the views, whether perceived or not, are taken together, it becomes a System of Perspectives. These perspectives, which are related to one another, may be said to constitute "space".

Science of mind is known as Psychology and science of matter is called Physics. A unification of these two fields of science might solve the problem and help us to explain the relationship between mind and matter more clearly.

Both mind and matter are active particulars. So there is a need to develop a neutral particular in which both mind and matter can merge, and from which again both can be derived. Thus a new branch of science need to be developed which will study the arrangement of these neutral particulars, which lie at the basis of both mind and matter.

Till then, even if Psychology and Physics narrow down the scope of Philosophy, it will thrive and exist, simply because the intellect of man cannot sit idle, and the curious mind cannot refrain from being curious and venturous, and will continue to get emotional satisfaction out of it. Thus man's quest for the unknown will continue, and in the process man will continue to question and doubt a thing. This way man's quest for a universal spirituality will continue to forge ahead.

Based on works by Bertrand Russell

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