Is_a_Person_More_Than_a_Physical_Body__What_Is_the_Mind__What_Is_Thought_

Introduction Man 's fascination with what lies beyond his corporal existence is a basic and intrinsic element of humanity . It is natural for man to wonder the origin of his existence , purpose and ultimate purpose . How does one 's mind work ' How does man create thought ' What is the rationale of both ' The greatest minds in our history sought these philosophical queries not just to understand their function and development but more to understand humanity and existence . The Viewpoints Studies of the soul , mind and thought have figure strongly in ancient treatises . Unlike today , there was no distinction between what could be examined scientifically and what was metaphysical . For a time concepts of the soul , the mind and thought that could not be physical measured were relegated to be esoteric (Hebding and Glick , 1992 . Today , the investigation regarding these three concepts have regained scientific interest as we realize more that human existence and experience can not be boxed or strictly quantified . Soul The English word "soul " traces its etymology to the Old English ``sawol ' that in turn traces its meaning to a Germanic word ``seula ' that means belonging to the sea . Germanic mythology believed that spirits or souls when not associated with a corporal form exist together as part of medium resembling water (``Soul , 2006 . The Greek and Roman philosophers Socrates believed that the soul was the core of a person (Lorenz , 2003 . His student Plato likewise believed the essence of the soul and considered it as the ``incorporeal occupant of our being (``Soul , 2006 . To Plato , the soul comprised of the logos , the thymos and the pathos which all contribute to the stableness and serenity of the soul (Swineburg , 1997 . Aristotle agreed with Socrates and Plato regarding the basic concept of the soul but did not agree that it was a separate entity : the soul represented the "first activity " which is the source of ``second activity ' or the physical manifestation of ``first activity (``Soul , 2006 . Most studies about the soul are from a religious context and the notion of afterlife . During the 19th and 20th century , researches focused on the identification of the soul apart form the human body . Experiments such as those conducted by Dr . Duncan MacDougall sought to weigh the soul . Today , the concept of the soul beyond faith or belief is still in debate but its significance to man 's origin , life and purpose has not diminished . Researcher E . O . Wilson pointed out that sociologically speaking , the belief system regarding the existence of the soul is universal component of society and he has suggested investigations to study the relationship of biology and belief in souls . According to Daniel Dennett , the soul is just a manifestation of the human intentional stance . However Keith Sutherland points out that this was prejudiced for the philosophical schema of physicalism (``Soul , 2006 . Mind According to the mind was represented by ``logos , the component of the soul that espouses logic and balance . The term mind refers to the subject of a man