A mind difference?

[Philosophy Explorer]

Do you see a difference between the mind and the mind conceiving of itself? I believe there is?

PhilX

[Ginkgo]

Do you see a difference between the mind and the mind conceiving of itself? I believe there is?

PhilX

Depends on what you means by the word "mind".

[hammock]

Do you see a difference between the mind and the mind conceiving of itself? I believe there is?

Some cultures don't even have a single distinct concept of "mind" which is equivalent to that in Western psychology, philosophy. It's more an endemic idea rather than a societal universal.

[thedoc]

Do you see a difference between the mind and the mind conceiving of itself? I believe there is?

PhilX

All animals have a mind, that may be extended to all living things but that would depend on whether you require a brain to have a mind. And I will call a mind and awareness as possibly equivalent, and this is where we may extend the mind to living things that are aware. The phrase "I think, therefore I am", will do for me to illustrate the difference. Animals have gotten to the "I am" phase of this statement but so far as I know only humans have discovered the whole statement. "I think, therefore I am" would indicate a mind that is able to conceive of itself, whereas "I am" would just indicate a mind that is aware of it's environment, but not one that is able to contemplate itself and that environment. I will concede that some animals may have gotten beyond "I am" to some degree of "I think, therefore I am", but so far as I know, humans are the only animals that can articulate and express these ideas.

[duszek]

But what would an animal hiding from a predator think ?

He is trying not to be (in the predator´s consciousness at least).

[GreatandWiseTrixie]

Seems any animal capable of kind acts towards another animal would imply they have some semblance of reason.

[thedoc]

But what would an animal hiding from a predator think ?

He is trying not to be (in the predator´s consciousness at least).

I would think there would be a single minded consciousness of, and focus on survival, be that of the individual or the offspring.