Abstract

From the standpoint of psychical research, the author suggests 3 classical theories of concept of mind, but he also reviews other theories as advanced by philosophers, neurologists and neurobiologists. His 3 theories include: (a) Cartesian dualism, (b) perception, and (c) sense-datum. Cartesian theory claims that we have immediate knowledge of the contents of our minds, through our sensations, images, emotions and thoughts, that the human mind consists of an ego, which is aware of sensations, thoughts, etc., and that our thoughts and experiences are qualitative and unlike nerve impulses to the brain. The perception theory holds that awareness is not direct prehension of physical objects, but represents objects in some way and bears specific relationships to such objects. The sense-datum theory is like the perception theory but holds that our perception of physical objects is indirect, being mediated by sensation, and is not as direct as realism holds. Criticisms are given of all 3 theories.