Editing Mind (section)

== Relation to other fields ==
The mind is relevant to many fields. In [[epistemology]], the [[problem of other minds]] is the challenge of explaining how it is possible to know that people other than oneself have a mind. The difficulty arises from the fact that people directly experience their own minds but do not have the same access to the minds of others. According to a common view, it is necessary to rely on perception to observe the behavior of others and then infer that they have a mind based on [[analogical reasoning|analogical]] or [[abductive reasoning]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Avramides|2023|loc=Lead Section, § 1.4 Perceptual Knowledge of Other Minds}} | {{harvnb|Overgaard|2010|pp=[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-2646-0_14 255–258]}} }}</ref> Closely related to this problem is [[theory of mind]] in psychology, which is the ability to understand that other people possess beliefs, desires, intentions, and feelings that may differ from one's own.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|American Psychological Association|2018|loc=[https://dictionary.apa.org/theory-of-mind § Theory of Mind]}} | {{harvnb|Dunbar|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ly0TDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA30 30]}} | {{harvnb|Costall|Leuda|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5C4WDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41 41]}} | {{harvnb|Galandí|2023|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7bfrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA437 437]}} }}</ref>

[[Anthropology]] is interested in how different cultures conceptualize the nature of mind and its relation to the world. These conceptualizations affect the way people understand themselves, experience illness, and interpret ritualistic practices as attempts to commune with [[Spirit (supernatural entity)|spirits]]. Some cultures do not draw a strict boundary between mind and world by allowing that thoughts can pass directly into the world and manifest as beneficial or harmful forces. For instance, some indigenous beliefs systems, like traditional beliefs in the [[Azande people|Azande culture]], hold that angry thoughts can directly damage another person's crops or make them ill. Other cultures strictly separate the mind from external reality, seeing it as an internal phenomenon without supernatural powers.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Luhrmann|2023|loc=Abstract, § Introduction, § Conceptions of the mind in early ethnographies, § Conclusion: The Understanding of Mind in the West Is Peculiar}} | {{harvnb|Toren|2010|pp=577–580, 582}} | {{harvnb|Beatty|2019}} }}</ref> [[Sociology]] is a related field concerned with the connections between mind, society, and behavior.<ref>{{harvnb|Franks|2007|pp=3055–3056}}</ref> Among other topics, it is interested in the phenomenon of [[intersubjectivity]], which happens when different people have a shared understanding or experience, meaning that their cognitive perspectives overlap.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Munroe|2007|loc=§ Abstract}} | {{harvnb|Chandler|Munday|2011}} }}</ref>

The concept of mind plays a central role in various religions. [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] say that there is no [[anatta|enduring self]] underlying mental activity. They analyze the mind as a stream of constantly changing experiences characterized by [[Skandha|five aspects or "aggregates"]]: [[Rūpa#Buddhism|material form]], [[Vedanā|feelings]], [[samjna|perception]], [[saṃskāra|volition]], and [[vijñāna|consciousness]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Karunamuni|2015|pp=1–2}} | {{harvnb|Coseru|2017|loc=Lead Section; § 2.3 The Five Aggregates}} | {{harvnb|Laine|1998|loc=Lead Section}} }}</ref> [[Hinduism|Hindus]], by contrast, affirm the existence of a [[Ātman (Hinduism)|permanent self]]. In an influential analogy, the human mind is compared to a horse-drawn chariot: the horses are the [[indriya|senses]], which lure the sense mind corresponding to the reins through sensual pleasures. The senses are controlled by the charioteer embodying the [[Buddhi|intellect]] while the self is a passenger.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Laine|1998|loc=§ Philosophy of Mind in the Upaniṣads}} | {{harvnb|Rao|2002|pp=[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21206593/ 315–316]}} }}</ref> In traditional [[Christian philosophy]], mind and soul are closely intertwined as the immaterial aspect of humans that may [[Afterlife|survive bodily death]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Clark|Lints|Smith|2004|pp=52–53}} | {{harvnb|Duncan|LoLordo|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7VDbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR16 xvi]}} }}</ref> Islamic thought distinguishes between [['Aql|mind]], [[Rūḥ|spirit]], [[Qalb|heart]], and [[nafs|self]] as interconnected aspects of the spiritual dimension of humans.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Rassool|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_oobEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 74]}} | {{harvnb|Rothman|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DWbwEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2010 2010]}} }}</ref> [[Daoism]] and [[Confucianism]] use the concept of [[Xin (heart-mind)|heart-mind]] as the center of cognitive and emotional life, encompassing thought, understanding, will, desire, and mood.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Wong|2023|loc=Lead Section}} | {{harvnb|Hall|Ames|1998}} }}</ref>

[[File:Phrenology1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Phrenological diagram of the human head from the side. Different different areas are marked for distinct brain functions.|[[Phrenology]] was a pseudoscientific attempt to correlate mental functions to brain areas.<ref name="auto1">{{multiref | {{harvnb|Sysling|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hIuFEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA407 407]}} | {{harvnb|Dixon|Shapiro|2022|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=T81kEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT126 § 5. Mind, Brain, and Morality]}} | {{harvnb|Bernstein|Nash|2006|p=58}} | {{harvnb|Bermúdez|2014|pp=285, 287}} }}</ref>]]

In the field of [[education]], the minds of students are shaped through the transmission of knowledge, skills, and character traits as a process of socialization and enculturation. This is achieved through different [[teaching methods]] including the contrast between group work and individual learning and the use of instructional media.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Chazan|2022|pp=[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-83925-3_3 15–16]}} | {{harvnb|Bartlett|Burton|2007|pp=81–85}} | {{harvnb|Murphy|2003|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BjqQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 5, 19–20]}} | {{harvnb|Alexander|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MNvQENpKy2AC&pg=PA109 109–110]}} }}</ref> Teacher-centered education positions the teacher as the central authority controlling the learning process whereas in [[Student-centered learning|student-centered education]], students have a more active role in shaping classroom activities.<ref>{{harvnb|Emaliana|2017|pp=59–61}}</ref> The choice of the most effective method to develop the minds of the learners is determined by various factors, including the topic and the learner's age and skill level.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Bartlett|Burton|2007|pp=81–85}} | {{harvnb|Murphy|2003|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BjqQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 5, 19–20]}} | {{harvnb|Jacobs|Renandya|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5QaWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 3]}} }}</ref>

The mind is a frequent subject of [[pseudoscientific]] inquiry. [[Phrenology]] was an early attempt to correlate mental functions with specific brain areas. While its central claims about predicting mental traits by measuring bumps on the skull did not survive scientific scrutiny, the underlying idea that certain mental functions are localized in particular regions of the brain is now widely accepted.<ref name="auto1"/> [[Parapsychology|Parapsychologists]] seek to discover and study [[paranormal]] mental abilities ranging from [[clairvoyance]] to [[telepathy]] and [[telekinesis]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Stairs|1998|loc=Lead Section}} | {{harvnb|HarperCollins|2022|loc=[https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=parapsychology § Parapsychology]}} | {{harvnb|Evans|2004|pp=584–585}} }}</ref>