Origin of thoughts
Where Do Our Thoughts Come From? Yohan John, Neuroscience PhD, on Quora: Thoughts come from nowhere and from everywhere! I think both contain an element of truth. Subjectively, our thoughts come from nowhere: they just pop into our heads, or emerge in the form of words leaving our mouths. Objectively, we can say that thoughts emerge from neural processes, and that neural processes come from everywhere; the forms and dynamics of thought influenced by everything that has a causal connection with you, your society, and your species. We don't know exactly how thoughts emerge from the activity of neurons, or even how to define what a thought is in biological terms, but there is plenty of indirect evidence to support the general claim that the brain is where thoughts emerge. The neuronal patterns that mediate and enable thought and behavior have proximal and distal causes. The proximal causes are the stimuli and circumstances we experience. These experiences ha...