The philosophy of mind seeks to answer such questions as: is mind distinct from matter? Can we define what it is to be conscious, and can we give principled reasons for deciding whether other creatures are conscious, or whether machines might be made so that they are conscious? What are thinking, feeling, experience, remembering? Is it useful to divide the functions of the mind up, separating memory from intelligence, or rationality from sentiment, or do mental functions form an integrated whole? The dominant philosophies of mind in the current western tradition include varieties of physicalism and functionalism . For particular topics see also cognition, emotion, language, memory, mind–body problem.
Philosophy dictionary. Academic. 2011.