Gary R, List, I came across a review by Olivia Goldhill of Siegel's book (see excerpts below). It has a good description of the relational view of mind, which is consistent with Peirce's relational view of reasoning: Relations (1ns, 2ns, and 3ns) are the foundation of all reasoning, both formal and informal. Diagrams express relations graphically, and they have fundamental advantages over linear notations (including natural languages): (1) the extension to two or more dimensions enables them to express space and time more iconically than any linear notations; (2) unlike algebraic notations, diagrams can express continuous and discrete transformations iconically; (3) the extension to three or even four dimensions (x, y, z, t) enables them to express "moving pictures of thought"; and (4) the EG rules of inference are as precise as any algebraic notation for logic. Although Siegel emphasized relational aspects of mind that go beyond the brain, the mind still depends on the brain to support the relations between perception and action. I also recommend the research by John O'Keefe and his colleagues in analyzing the neural mechanisms that support those relations: https://www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/groups/okeefe-lab John -------------------------------------------------- From https://qz.com/866352/scientists-say-your-mind-isnt-confined-to-your-brain-or-even-your-body/ Dan Siegel... first came up with the definition more than two decades ago, at a meeting of 40 scientists across disciplines, including neuroscientists, physicists, sociologists, and anthropologists. The aim was to come to an understanding of the mind that would appeal to common ground and satisfy those wrestling with the question across these fields. After much discussion, they decided that a key component of the mind is: the emergent self-organizing process, both embodied and relational, that regulates energy and information flow within and among us. Its not catchy. But it is interesting, and with meaningful implications. The most immediately shocking element of this definition is that our mind extends beyond our physical selves. In other words, our mind is not simply our perception of experiences, but those experiences themselves. Siegel argues that its impossible to completely disentangle our subjective view of the world from our interactions. I realized if someone asked me to define the shoreline but insisted, is it the water or the sand, I would have to say the shore is both sand and sea, says Siegel. You cant limit our understanding of the coastline to insist its one or the other. I started thinking, maybe the mind is like the coastlinesome inner and inter process. Mental life for an anthropologist or sociologist is profoundly social. Your thoughts, feelings, memories, attention, what you experience in this subjective world is part of mind. The definition has since been supported by research across the sciences, but much of the original idea came from mathematics. Siegel realized the mind meets the mathematical definition of a complex system in that its open (can influence things outside itself), chaos capable (which simply means its roughly randomly distributed), and non-linear (which means a small input leads to large and difficult to predict result). In math, complex systems are self-organizing, and Siegel believes this idea is the foundation to mental health. Again borrowing from the mathematics, optimal self-organization is: flexible, adaptive, coherent, energized, and stable. This means that without optimal self-organization, you arrive at either chaos or rigiditya notion that, Siegel says, fits the range of symptoms of mental health disorders. Finally, self-organization demands linking together differentiated ideas or, essentially, integration. And Siegel says integrationwhether thats within the brain or within societyis the foundation of a healthy mind.
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