The mental world is an
ontological
Ontology is the philosophical study of being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of reality and every ...
category in
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
, populated by nonmaterial mental objects, without physical
extension (though possibly with mental extension as in a
visual field, or possibly not, as in an
olfactory field) contrasted with the
physical world
The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
of
space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
and
time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
populated with
physical objects, or
Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
's world of
ideals populated, in part, with
mathematical objects.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
, Richard Taylor, ''Foundations of Philosophy'' series[''History of Western Philosophy'', Bertrand Russell]
Properties
The mental world may be populated with, or framed with,
intentions,
sensory fields, and corresponding objects.
The mental world is usually considered to be
subjective and not
objective.
In
psychologism,
mathematical objects are mental objects.
Relation to physical world
Descartes argued for a mental world as separate from the physical world.
[''Meditations'', Renes Descartes] Debates regarding
free will
Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
include how it could be possible for anything in the mental world to have an effect on the physical world. In various forms of
Epiphenomenalism, the physical world can cause effects in the mental world, but not conversely.
See also
*
Mental body
*
Mind-body dualism
*
Mind-body problem
*
Descartes
*
Berkeley
*
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a systematic approach to understand the behavior of humans and other animals. It assumes that behavior is either a reflex elicited by the pairing of certain antecedent stimuli in the environment, or a consequence of that indivi ...
*
Mental operations
Mental operations are operations that affect mind, mental contents. Initially, operations of reasoning have been the object of logic alone. Pierre Janet was one of the first to use the concept in psychology. Mental operations have been investigated ...
*
Object of the mind
References
{{reflist, 2
Concepts in the philosophy of mind
Concepts in metaphysics
Cognitive science
Mental content