Physics of the mind: Concepts, emotions, language, cognition, consciousness, beauty, music, and symbolic culture

A review of mathematical approaches to modeling the mind since the 1950s highlights difficulties linked to the fundamental incompleteness of logic discovered by Gödel. A recent advancement, dynamic logic (DL), overcomes these past difficulties and is described conceptually in relation to neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. DL models higher cognitive functions such as concepts, emotions, instincts, understanding, imagination, intuition, and consciousness, and is related to the knowledge instinct that drives understanding and serves as a foundation for higher cognition. Aesthetic emotions and beauty perception are tied to everyday mental functioning.

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Abstract

Mathematical approaches to modeling the mind since the 1950s are reviewed. Difficulties faced by these approaches are related to the fundamental incompleteness of logic discovered by K. G\"odel. A recent mathematical advancement, dynamic logic (DL) overcame these past difficulties. DL is described conceptually and related to neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. DL models higher cognitive functions: concepts, emotions, instincts, understanding, imagination, intuition, consciousness. DL is related to the knowledge instinct that drives our understanding of the world and serves as a foundation for higher cognitive functions. Aesthetic emotions and perception of beauty are related to 'everyday' functioning of the mind. The article reviews mechanisms of human symbolic ability, language and cognition, joint evolution of the mind, consciousness, and cultures. It touches on a manifold of aesthetic emotions in music, their cognitive function, origin, and evolution. The article concentrates on elucidating the first principles and reviews aspects of the theory proven in laboratory research.