Towards an Integrated Theory of Mind: An Experience-Centered Approach

This article introduces an innovative theory of mind that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries (cognition, emotion, action). It offers a perspective centered on the experience of the acting/perceiving subject. The model presents three primary functional spheres—the "I Act," the "I Socialize," and the "I Think"—whose fundamental operational mode is anticipation/verification within their respective domains. This mode is achieved through the constant dynamic interaction between top-down flows (internally generated anticipations) and bottom-up flows (incoming sensory data). Underpinning these functional spheres are two fundamental and omnipresent Cardinal Principles, universal to all organisms with a nervous system: the Holistic Self (HS) and the Quantum Self (QS). These two core principles perform dual perceptual and executive functions, supporting the anticipation/verification mode of the three "I's." The HS is responsible for awareness of state and wholeness, the synthesis of forms and identities, while the QS manages the differentiation of figures and awareness of interactions and relationships, generating ordered sets. A unifying and central principle that orchestrates the mind's dynamism is the Prognostic Mind (Prognostica Mens). Its role is the universal application of the operational method of constantly generating and integrating predictions, followed by their verification. How knowledge and action take shape is guided by Cognitive Morphogenesis and Articulatory Morphogenesis. These processes, intrinsic to all three "I's," see the Holistic Self generate the synthesis of indivisible entities and the whole/part interaction, while the Quantum Self generates ordered sets. Dominance/subdominance, in this paper, will refer exclusively to articulatory morphogenesis. These two morphogeneses will be briefly introduced, with detailed explorations reserved for future work. In this continuous cycle, perception and execution are not mere functions, but intrinsic and dynamic goals of the anticipation/verification method: perception verifies an anticipation, and execution performs an action to verify an intention. The article outlines these principles and their evolution through the functional spheres, illustrating how the Prognostic Mind articulates in the "I Act" (present in all animals), the "I Socialize" (typical of birds and mammals), and the "I Think" (unique to humans). The distinction between these "I's" is necessary to explain differences in the nervous system between animals and humans, while maintaining the same basic operational principles for morphogenesis. The article emphasizes the integrated and dynamic nature of the mind, laying the groundwork for more in-depth future discussions.