Mind as a Construct of Consciousness and the Neocortex: A Critical Perspective on the Materialistic View

This article proposes a theoretical framework in which the “mind” is neither an independent entity nor a phenomenon directly produced by matter. Instead, it emerges from the interaction between the neocortex and non-material consciousness. From an evolutionary perspective, the “mind” did not exist prior to the expansion of the neocortex; therefore, it should be seen as a late construct arising from the increasing complexity of the human cortex. The neocortex generates capacities such as language, meaning-making, narrative memory, and future simulation, while simultaneously functioning as a “mirror” through which non-material consciousness becomes more clearly reflected in human experience. Materialistic science typically interprets this enhanced reflection as a product of the brain itself and labels it the “mind.” However, this article argues that the mind is merely the joint output of cortical processing and the reflection of consciousness. Thus, the mind is a mediating layer—not the source of experience. This framework, which I call the “Brain–Consciousness Interface Model,” introduces a new paradigm for understanding the relationship between awareness and the brain.