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From an unlicensed philosopher: reflections on brain, mind, society, culture—each other's environments with equal “ontologic standing”
Author(s) -
Shay Jonathan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05797.x
Subject(s) - phenomenon , work (physics) , boundary (topology) , psychology , epistemology , psychoanalysis , sociology , philosophy , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , engineering
Philosophic conclusions drawn from work with psychologically and morally injured combat veterans include that brain, mind, society, and culture “co‐evolved.” The four encompass the complete human phenomenon, but not all are reducible to the physical brain. None of the four are “ontologically prior” to the others, when viewed over the entire lifecycle. All four are what I call “each other's environments,” with obligatory cross‐boundary flows—each with each in both directions. Rigorous, but nonreductionist interdisciplinary research, in the vein of “evo‐devo” in embryology, is called for in the study of the human phenomena. On the basis of these conclusions, I offer a few practical comments on clinical work with psychologically and morally injured combat veterans.