One of the most famous philosophers who reflected on this topic was R. Descartes. Descartes believed that a person is an immaterial entity, a thinking thing, a soul. It is, in his opinion, connected to the brain and the rest of the body. Descartes assumed that this connection runs through the pineal gland – the only unpaired part of the brain. Desires and intentions are transmitted from this immaterial entity through the pineal gland to the brain, and the brain, in turn, gives commands to other parts of the body. Thus, Descartes believed that the soul decides, and the brain is the translator of its desires. However, Descartes ' solution was not successful.
First, scientific studies of the brain have shown that the pineal gland has a more prosaic function: it promotes puberty, regulates the processes of falling asleep and metabolism. Secondly, it is not clear at all how an immaterial entity can be the cause of material events. All events in the material world, including our behavior, are caused by events in the material world. So they can't have other, non-material reasons. It turns out that everything is determined by the brain itself. But does this mean that personality doesn't define anything?
The ultimate answer depends on how the brain and personality relate. Some people associate personality only with conscious processes in the brain. In this case, it must be recognized that sometimes actions are determined by unconscious mechanisms, and the individual only discovers the results of brain actions. If the unconscious mechanisms are also considered part of the personality, then we can say that the brain and personality are practically the same thing. There are good reasons for this.
Many unconscious processes are programmed by us consciously. For example, we consciously learn to drive a car, type blindly on the keyboard, and play musical instruments. But at some point, all these skills are acquired by the unconscious and then do not require the intervention of consciousness. This is a good thing, because the unconscious mechanisms of the brain allow you to react faster, perform complex actions faster. Consequently, the unconscious and conscious processes of the brain are closely related, and they can be considered entirely components of the personality, or”I”.
Thus, everything is decided by both our brain and our personality, our “I”.
One of the most famous philosophers who reflected on this topic was R. Descartes. Descartes believed that a person is an immaterial entity, a thinking thing, a soul. It is, in his opinion, connected to the brain and the rest of the body. Descartes assumed that this connection runs through the pineal gland – the only unpaired part of the brain. Desires and intentions are transmitted from this immaterial entity through the pineal gland to the brain, and the brain, in turn, gives commands to other parts of the body. Thus, Descartes believed that the soul decides, and the brain is the translator of its desires. However, Descartes ' solution was not successful.
First, scientific studies of the brain have shown that the pineal gland has a more prosaic function: it promotes puberty, regulates the processes of falling asleep and metabolism. Secondly, it is not clear at all how an immaterial entity can be the cause of material events. All events in the material world, including our behavior, are caused by events in the material world. So they can't have other, non-material reasons. It turns out that everything is determined by the brain itself. But does this mean that personality doesn't define anything?
The ultimate answer depends on how the brain and personality relate. Some people associate personality only with conscious processes in the brain. In this case, it must be recognized that sometimes actions are determined by unconscious mechanisms, and the individual only discovers the results of brain actions. If the unconscious mechanisms are also considered part of the personality, then we can say that the brain and personality are practically the same thing. There are good reasons for this.
Many unconscious processes are programmed by us consciously. For example, we consciously learn to drive a car, type blindly on the keyboard, and play musical instruments. But at some point, all these skills are acquired by the unconscious and then do not require the intervention of consciousness. This is a good thing, because the unconscious mechanisms of the brain allow you to react faster, perform complex actions faster. Consequently, the unconscious and conscious processes of the brain are closely related, and they can be considered entirely components of the personality, or”I”.
Thus, everything is decided by both our brain and our personality, our “I”.