Decade of the Mind: DOT.M

After the decade of the Brain, the time has come to take it a step further and enter the DOT.M: decade of the Mind. After all Brain and Mind both constitute the pond where neuroscientists and neurophysiologists like to swim (or go fishing). In the Fall of 2007, ten neuroscientists published a proposal for an interdisciplinary research initiative, the "Decade of the Mind," that would focus on four "broad but intertwined areas": mental health, research on high-level cognitive functions, education, and computational applications (such as intelligent machines). I review the basic ideas behind the proposal and discuss the four proposed areas of research. I argue that for research on higher cognitive functions and in particular, for research and practice in education, the "Decade of the Mind" is a welcome initiative that may change our lives for the better. Therefore, the proposal, which is scientifically interdisciplinary in nature, has to be politically international. Get the pdf here