mental causation
Thoughts producing effects
Mental causation is the philosophical concept that mental states—thoughts, beliefs, desires, intentions—can cause physical events, particularly bodily actions.
When you decide to raise your hand and then raise it, mental causation describes the relationship between the decision and the movement.
The concept sits at the heart of debates about free will and the mind-body problem, since it raises questions about how something nonphysical could influence the physical world.
- mindSeat of consciousness
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- mind over matterWill overcoming physical constraints
- thoughtMental concept or reflection
- intentionPlanned purpose for acting
power of thought · conscious decision · will · force of will · agency · brain · neural activity · belief · desire · action · dualism · physicalism · free will · volition · deliberation · choice · reason · motive
- causationeffect, because, causality, hence, consequence
- philosophy of mindmind-body problem, consciousness, qualia, intentionality, dualism
- New Thoughtaffirmation, affirmations, law of attraction, manifestation, positive thinking
- Physicalismphysicalism, materialism, naturalism, monism, reductionism
- mindmind, thought, cognition, consciousness, thinking
- free willfree will, choice, volition, autonomy, initiative