Biochemistry and Thought Production
Biochemistry and Thought Production A humans cognition and thought processes are based on biochemical reactions within the human body. Biochemistry is the function of chemicals and processes occurring within a living being. It can be used in many ways to explain how our thoughts are produced. Through the functionalist perspective mental states and brain states are combined to form a matrix of thought. Functionalists argue that environmental inputs and mental states play a pivotal role in producing behavioral outputs. Biochemistry provides an in-depth analysis to the way our environment and physiology cause mental states; it is the only way humans are able to produce thought. Many may not notice the physiological effects that a human’s environment can have on a person. Some environmental circumstances are more obvious than others at producing biochemical reactions within the human body. The creation of pain is an excellent way of depicting how the environment can cause a biochemical reaction that produces mental states. For example, if a person were to hold their hand over a heated stove top and burn themselves that would cause sensory neurons located in the epidermis to be activated. From there the signal would travel to the brain where axons carry messages from one dendritic cell to the next. Furthermore, we are able to produce various mental states and thoughts, such as agony or the thought of dressing the wounds on the hand. These actions may then produce behavioral aspects, such as yelling or screaming. The human anatomy’s somatosensory organs cause biochemical shifts to occur in the brain. These biochemical effects on the physical body may produce thoughts of anguish. Therefore, even a person’s environment can affect them physiologically so that thoughts are produced. Mental states and mental phenomena depend on the biochemistry of human beings. Searle uses his Chinese room theory to explain how a set of inputs and