ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the foundational idea that “matter makes mind.” Humans have almost always speculated about the relationship, if any, between the soul, the mind, and the body, especially the brain. Psychology has focused specifically upon the connection between mind or psychological functions and corresponding specific brain regions and activities. The chapter outlines the major issues of the mind-body relationship and discusses Thomas Hobbes’ influential philosophy of this relationship. It summarizes the views of Aristotle and Claudius Galen regarding the role of the heart, brain, and humors for control of mind and body functions. The chapter examines the key findings describing the relationship between the brain and consciousness and the brain challenges that face psychology and neuroscience. The philosophical and biological foundations of psychology are built upon the nature of the relationship between the mind and body and the constructs of mechanism and motion.
