<p>Wikipedia is often a good place to start for basic questions like these. Wikipedia has separate pages devoted to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind">mind</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain">brain</a>, and even the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind-body_problem">mind–body problem</a>, which is one example of the many theoretical challenges implied by the distinctions between "mind" and "brain". Simply stated:</p>

<ul>
<li>The brain is a physical organ. It's entirely possible that much of its structure has relatively little bearing on the nature of the mind. For instance, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroglia">glial cells</a> are more numerous than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron">neuronal cells</a>. Glial cells play a relatively more supportive function than neurons, the direct functions of which may be more closely related than glial cells' to the functions of what we consider to constitute the mind.</li>
<li>Wikipedia describes the mind as, "The set of cognitive faculties that enables consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory." <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mind+definition">Google offers this primary definition</a>: "The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought." Neither of these definitions directly necessitate a physical substrate such as the brain. However, <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mind">The Free Dictionary's primary definition</a> includes the phrase, "Originates in the brain." These differences belie the controversiality of the term itself, as does @KeeganKeplinger's helpful answer.</li>
<li>Wikipedia's mind page has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind#Relation_to_the_brain">a section dedicated to its relation to the brain</a>. This section mentions the mind–brain problem, as well as three philosophical stances on the problem:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism">Materialism</a>: briefly, that there is no valid distinction, and all mental activities have neural bases</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealism_%28philosophy%29">Idealism</a>: essentially that all physical objects and processes are truly mental in nature</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dualism_%28philosophy_of_mind%29">Dualism</a>: that the mind exists somewhat independently of the brain and body, possibly as an aspect or property of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit">spirit</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul">soul</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

<p>Thus a simple answer would be that "mind" does imply "brain" for many if not most audiences, but some may opine that these are different (though probably not <em>totally</em> different) entities. Arguably the best approach would be to tailor your word choice to suit whichever entity your computer concept proposes to read most directly.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T21:13:46.863Z
2014-02-17T21:13:46.863Z
Nick Stauner
<p>Modern neuroscience has left behind the notion of mind-brain separation. Neuroscientists typically accept that everything from our breathing to our emotions and the complex sense of "self" that we have is a product of our brains. We have yet to discover exactly how/when/why the "mind" emerged from the brain, but we do know that most of our mental processing happens unconsciously.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-06T14:11:09.337Z
This is a good summary, but would be strengthened by citing sources and elaborating on your answer.
user30295
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-26T20:23:09.717Z
2014-08-26T22:31:27.783Z
2014-08-26T22:31:27.783Z
Luke
<p>The brain is a physical object whereas the mind is an abstract entity consisting of thoughts. There is a mapping between the two which works bilaterally,each one can influence the other.
A mind reading computer would receive its inputs in physical form and would then map out the mind by using the corelations between the two.
These corelations would be complex sensory inputs to the brain can influence the mind but the mind also receives inputs of a non sensory kind which can influence the brain.
If it is hardware and software analogy then we are dealing with a software which changes the hardware.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-07T12:26:56.800Z
Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We are a community based in science and fact, and encourage citing sources for this purpose as well as giving interested parties somewhere to start for further reading.
Krysta
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T16:53:11.850Z
2014-10-06T16:53:11.850Z
Kirankirti Chauhan
<p>I would like to equate the brain with computer hardware while equating the mind with the software. Interestingly the brain executes the steps or the perceptional aspects of human thinking while the mind interacts with the world and changes, alters and re-configures ones perceptions and operational brain functions. For example when one is interacting with the outside world the same scene or stimuli may have different brain response under the depressed state of mind while it may be totally opposite when in an elated state. So the plasticity of the brain can change by the operations of the mind. So how do we define mind, simply said it is the collective contribution of ones memory of past experiences, current state of being and the relationship between the two, while resolving the current perception.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-04T09:10:03.580Z
Do you have a reference to back this up?  Right now it's a mixture of inaccurate philosophy and conjecture.
Chuck Sherrington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-04T08:22:07.703Z
2014-10-04T08:22:07.703Z
S K Kak
<p>I think hardware and software are both brain-the matter and function. Mind decides what you use it for, and is based on your learning based on experiences. The learning is not only over one life but continues and is updated. I think the gist of learning is in the soul and is updated based on new experiences. I think soul is software for learning with Data/information (learning) and has also a java like program that enables updating of the laerning. It also has rules - soul can only be in a living organism, hence leaves at death. the program also calculates the frequency ( to define how much you have learned and zero frequency means you have learnt the Truth). At death, the soul leaves the body and keeps wandering, until it finds a body being born that has a matching frequency in it's previous life and the other soul lodges in it. The soul when it leaves one body goes just like a wireless cell phone.  my hypothesis- not proven but scientifically plausible.
Kul razdan</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-06T12:39:05.940Z
Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We encourage answers based in science and fact--right now this answer is pretty lacking in both, and is more on the philosophy side than anything else.
Krysta
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-04T11:34:00.493Z
2014-10-04T11:34:00.493Z
Kul Razdan
<p>Sure, to some extent mind reading implies brain reading.  For instance, if you were reading someone's mind by their behavior or their heart rate, it would be through their brain's effect on those organs.  We largely do this through inference.  Without a heart monitor or perspiration monitor, we have whole sections of brain dedicated to recognizing human faces and interpreting emotions and we tend to automatically assume things that look like us think and feel like us.  This can be helpful for mind reading, but it can also lead to misconceptions, because not everyone responds the same way to stimuli.  Some people laugh to cope with tragedy, some people cry.  Additionally, some people use deceitful facial expressions to hide their feelings.</p>

<p>But the brain is a physical object, whereas the concept of the mind is more obfuscated.  Some people emphasize the experiential aspects of the mind (phenomenology or subjective experience), while others emphasize the functional aspect of the mind (function, cognition).  There is still a lot of arguing left to do over what "mind" means, whereas we can pretty much all agree what a brain is.  So they're not the same thing.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T04:58:05.143Z
2014-09-02T16:44:35.150Z
2014-09-02T16:44:35.150Z
Keegan Keplinger
<p>I am preparing a presentation on "Mind Reading Computer", and all articles that I came across were focused on reading interpretations from brain through sensors. Articles like  <a href="http://kadampa.org/reference/what-is-the-mind/" rel="nofollow">this</a> clearly show a distinction between them, but from an engineering perspective, I need scientific facts. Does "mind reading computer" imply "brain reading computer", or does the term "mind" have totally a different meaning in the context? Any help and facts relating to the topic will be highly appreciated!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-16T18:08:17.213Z
The Phil.SE Q [Human Thinking versus Computer Thinking](http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/9866/human-thinking-versus-computer-thinking) may be/become helpful.
labreuer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T22:19:24.667Z
Jeffrey Schwartz's 'The Mind and the Brain' discusses this difference quite in-depth
Alex
<cognitive-psychology><neuroscience><cognitive-neuroscience><consciousness>
What's the major difference between mind and brain?
Diljit PR
# What's the major difference between mind and brain?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-02-16)

I am preparing a presentation on "Mind Reading Computer", and all articles that I came across were focused on reading interpretations from brain through sensors. Articles like [this](http://kadampa.org/reference/what-is-the-mind/) clearly show a distinction between them, but from an engineering perspective, I need scientific facts. Does "mind reading computer" imply "brain reading computer", or does the term "mind" have totally a different meaning in the context? Any help and facts relating to the topic will be highly appreciated!

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, neuroscience, cognitive-neuroscience, consciousness

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The Phil.SE Q [Human Thinking versus Computer Thinking](http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/9866/human-thinking-versus-computer-thinking) may be/become helpful.  
> **username_2**: Jeffrey Schwartz's 'The Mind and the Brain' discusses this difference quite in-depth  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2014-02-17. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Sure, to some extent mind reading implies brain reading. For instance, if you were reading someone's mind by their behavior or their heart rate, it would be through their brain's effect on those organs. We largely do this through inference. Without a heart monitor or perspiration monitor, we have whole sections of brain dedicated to recognizing human faces and interpreting emotions and we tend to automatically assume things that look like us think and feel like us. This can be helpful for mind reading, but it can also lead to misconceptions, because not everyone responds the same way to stimuli. Some people laugh to cope with tragedy, some people cry. Additionally, some people use deceitful facial expressions to hide their feelings.

But the brain is a physical object, whereas the concept of the mind is more obfuscated. Some people emphasize the experiential aspects of the mind (phenomenology or subjective experience), while others emphasize the functional aspect of the mind (function, cognition). There is still a lot of arguing left to do over what "mind" means, whereas we can pretty much all agree what a brain is. So they're not the same thing.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-02-17. Score: 5

Wikipedia is often a good place to start for basic questions like these. Wikipedia has separate pages devoted to the [mind](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind), the [brain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain), and even the [mind–body problem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind-body_problem), which is one example of the many theoretical challenges implied by the distinctions between "mind" and "brain". Simply stated:

* The brain is a physical organ. It's entirely possible that much of its structure has relatively little bearing on the nature of the mind. For instance, [glial cells](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroglia) are more numerous than [neuronal cells](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron). Glial cells play a relatively more supportive function than neurons, the direct functions of which may be more closely related than glial cells' to the functions of what we consider to constitute the mind.
* Wikipedia describes the mind as, "The set of cognitive faculties that enables consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory." [Google offers this primary definition](https://www.google.com/search?q=mind+definition): "The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought." Neither of these definitions directly necessitate a physical substrate such as the brain. However, [The Free Dictionary's primary definition](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mind) includes the phrase, "Originates in the brain." These differences belie the controversiality of the term itself, as does @KeeganKeplinger's helpful answer.
* Wikipedia's mind page has [a section dedicated to its relation to the brain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind#Relation_to_the_brain). This section mentions the mind–brain problem, as well as three philosophical stances on the problem:
  + [Materialism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism): briefly, that there is no valid distinction, and all mental activities have neural bases
  + [Idealism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealism_%28philosophy%29): essentially that all physical objects and processes are truly mental in nature
  + [Dualism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dualism_%28philosophy_of_mind%29): that the mind exists somewhat independently of the brain and body, possibly as an aspect or property of the [spirit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit) or [soul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul)

Thus a simple answer would be that "mind" does imply "brain" for many if not most audiences, but some may opine that these are different (though probably not *totally* different) entities. Arguably the best approach would be to tailor your word choice to suit whichever entity your computer concept proposes to read most directly.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-08-26. Score: 2

Modern neuroscience has left behind the notion of mind-brain separation. Neuroscientists typically accept that everything from our breathing to our emotions and the complex sense of "self" that we have is a product of our brains. We have yet to discover exactly how/when/why the "mind" emerged from the brain, but we do know that most of our mental processing happens unconsciously.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: This is a good summary, but would be strengthened by citing sources and elaborating on your answer.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-10-06. Score: 0

The brain is a physical object whereas the mind is an abstract entity consisting of thoughts. There is a mapping between the two which works bilaterally,each one can influence the other.
A mind reading computer would receive its inputs in physical form and would then map out the mind by using the corelations between the two.
These corelations would be complex sensory inputs to the brain can influence the mind but the mind also receives inputs of a non sensory kind which can influence the brain.
If it is hardware and software analogy then we are dealing with a software which changes the hardware.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We are a community based in science and fact, and encourage citing sources for this purpose as well as giving interested parties somewhere to start for further reading.  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-10-04. Score: -1

I would like to equate the brain with computer hardware while equating the mind with the software. Interestingly the brain executes the steps or the perceptional aspects of human thinking while the mind interacts with the world and changes, alters and re-configures ones perceptions and operational brain functions. For example when one is interacting with the outside world the same scene or stimuli may have different brain response under the depressed state of mind while it may be totally opposite when in an elated state. So the plasticity of the brain can change by the operations of the mind. So how do we define mind, simply said it is the collective contribution of ones memory of past experiences, current state of being and the relationship between the two, while resolving the current perception.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: Do you have a reference to back this up?  Right now it's a mixture of inaccurate philosophy and conjecture.  

---

### Answer by username_10 on 2014-10-04. Score: -1

I think hardware and software are both brain-the matter and function. Mind decides what you use it for, and is based on your learning based on experiences. The learning is not only over one life but continues and is updated. I think the gist of learning is in the soul and is updated based on new experiences. I think soul is software for learning with Data/information (learning) and has also a java like program that enables updating of the laerning. It also has rules - soul can only be in a living organism, hence leaves at death. the program also calculates the frequency ( to define how much you have learned and zero frequency means you have learnt the Truth). At death, the soul leaves the body and keeps wandering, until it finds a body being born that has a matching frequency in it's previous life and the other soul lodges in it. The soul when it leaves one body goes just like a wireless cell phone. my hypothesis- not proven but scientifically plausible.
Kul razdan

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Welcome to cogsci.SE!  We encourage answers based in science and fact--right now this answer is pretty lacking in both, and is more on the philosophy side than anything else.  

---

