Thumology and Psychology Contrasted

Psychology attends to the human mind and its cognitive functions: attention, memory, language, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Historically, psychology also included the study of human emotion.

Thumology attends to spirit defined in terms of thumos, "that which makes alive." Its field of study is broader than psychology's because it attends to thumos in all living beings, not just humans.

The primary function of thumos is to animate and enliven. It is prior to cognitive functions and makes cognitive functions possible.

In thumology, thumos and emotions are very closely related if not the same. Emotions are viewed as direct expressions of the thumos.

While thumos has a unique cognitive function in human beings, specifically inner deliberation, the cognitive function is of less importance in thumology than in psychology.

Object of study:

- Psychology: human mind

- Thumology: spirit in all living beings

Functions studied:

- Psychology is primarily the study of the cognitive functions of the human mind

- Thumology is primarily the study of the animating, enlivening function of spirit

Scope:

- The scope of psychology is primarily human beings

- The scope of thumology is all living beings

Emotions:

- Psychology: emotions are caused by cognitive functions of the mind

- Thumology: emotions are direct expressions of spirit

Cognition:

- Psychology: cognition is limited to the mind

- Thumology: there is a type of cognition associated with the thumos, deliberation

Ontological status:

- Mind must be spirited, alive, to exist

- Spirit does not have to be cognitive to exist. Being spirited precedes being cognitive.

Spirit, Mind, Soul, Body? Part 2

Spirit and Soul?

Soul, like spirit, is another word we use with gross imprecision. We use it as if we all know what it means even though we have no general consensus on the meaning of the word. 

Many use it to refer to an invisible substance in us humans wherein resides our ability to think, feel, and will. Many also attribute to soul the animating aspect I attribute to spirit and deem it eternal. 

As such, our soul somehow enters our body for the duration of our life and escapes when we die. Some believe that after death our soul either ascends to heaven for eternal bliss or descends to hell for eternal damnation. Others believe that our soul reincarnates multiple times until we earn escape from the cycles of reincarnation.

Many seem to use the word soul in a dramatic but superficial way for its emotional affect. It can make the user seem profound, deep, and "spiritual."

Soul is primarily a religious or "spiritual" term and has little if any role in a scientific view of living beings. 

If I use it at all, I do so with the sense that James Hillman gives it. In his view, our soul is our perspective. To have a soul is to have a perspective. As such, soul is a function of our mind.

I have little use for the word. It does no work in Thumotics.

In Thumotics I use spirit to refer to that which makes alive, mind to refer to our cognitive function, and body to refer to our physical being.

 

Spirit, Mind, Soul, Body? Part 1

Spirit and mind?

Spirit and soul?

Mind and soul?

Spirit and body?

These questions I'll explore in this and upcoming posts.

I'll start with spirit and mind.

Spirit and Mind Defined

I define spirit as "that which makes alive" and mind as our cognitive function.

By spirit we are alive. By mind we are aware and able to think. 

The Relationship Between Our Spirit and Mind

In my view, spirit is prior to mind. Our spirit is that which animates our mind. Being spirited and alive makes it possible for us to be minded; that is, aware and able to think. Without spirit it is impossible for us to be aware and think. No spirit, no mind.

Not only does spirit animate our mind, it does so in varying degrees. Our mind can be more or less animated according to how spirited it is. A highly spirited mind thinks quickly. A low spirited mind thinks slowly.

However, the relationship between our spirit and mind is two-way rather than one-way. We can attend to and be aware of our own spirit and that of others. We can mindful of spirit.

In addition to being mindful of spirit, we can affect our own spirit and that of others with our mind. By our own self-talk we can lift, calm, contract, expand, withhold, and extend our spirit. 

By speaking our mind to others we can affect the spirits of others. 

The Exploration Continues

There is a growing body of scientific research that suggests that speaking our mind affects not only the spirits of other human beings but other animals and even plants as well. 

As we continue to explore spirit and what all spirit animates, no doubt we will learn more about mind as well