Philosophy of mind studies the nature of the mind, consciousness, and mental states. It asks what the mind is, how it relates to the body, and what it means for something to be conscious. It is one of the most active areas of philosophy, with close ties to cognitive science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. The central problem is the mind-body problem: how do mental states relate to physical states? Are they identical, correlated, or distinct?

Positions include dualism, which holds that mind and body are distinct; physicalism, which holds that mental states are physical states; functionalism, which holds that mental states are defined by their causal roles; and eliminative materialism, which holds that folk psychology will be replaced by neuroscience. Other topics include intentionality, the directedness of mental states toward objects; qualia, the subjective feel of experience; and personal identity, what makes you the same person over time. The field also examines animal minds, artificial minds, and the possibility of machine consciousness. The hard problem of consciousness, why physical processing gives rise to subjective experience, remains unsolved.

Central topics

• Mind-body problem. How do mental and physical states relate?
• Consciousness. What is subjective experience?
• Intentionality. How do mental states refer to objects?
• Personal identity. What makes you the same person over time?
• Artificial minds. Can machines be conscious?

Philosophy of mind is not the same as psychology. Psychology studies behavior and mental processes empirically. Philosophy of mind studies the conceptual foundations of those studies.