Interaction of Mind with the Environment - Book Report/Review Example

Interaction of the Mind with the EnvironmentIntroductionThe human mind is sensitive to any changes in the environment; for this reason, the human mind has to change in order to adapt to the environment.The role of memoryConsidering the book, the role of memory in the interaction of the mind with the environment is through “The Lost Mariner” where the individual looses the ability to structure new memories. This is a result of Korsakoff’s syndrome. According to Sacks (55), the individual is unable to remember anything that took place since the World War II ended.

The interpretation of this is that the mind can gather memories according to the looming environmental conditions. In the book, the persona can only remember the past when the environment seems to be normal where the persona perceives being intelligent and young. This is an indication that the memory maintains the appealing things and the awful things that the environment has to offer as the mind is more carried away by those events. Considering that the person under scrutiny had a definite role in the World War II, Sacks argues that those memories are still haunting the persona, but he cannot remember what took place after the end of the war (20).

The mind can only get satisfaction, happiness and obtain meaning if only the environment is conducive.SensationSensation is the aspect of feeling the consciousness in the environment that pertains to the livelihood of a person. Based upon the book, this aspect of the interaction of the mind with the environment gets depiction through the “The Disembodied Lady” who, according to Sacks, does not feel the sense of proprioception implying that the lady does not feel the position of her body parts and other neighboring objects (73).

This is a clear indication that the brain depends on the environment. The brain is able to sense what is happening in the environment and be able to change its acuity so as to adapt to the prevailing conditions. Considering the persona under scrutiny, this aspect comes to light as a result of not being able to sense where the parts of one’s body get attached to the rest of the body, this is due to the prevailing environmental conditions; if the persona changes the acuity towards the environment, it is possible to change the prevailing conditions.

Having the aspect of sensation is vital for the mind to adapt to any changes in the environment.PerceptionAccording to Sacks, perceiving the prevailing environmental conditions is vital in understanding the world that surrounds us (68). This aspect of interaction of the mind with the environment in the book is depicted through the “President’s Speech” where some people start laughing during the speech, and start mimicking the president claiming that there is no formal prose in the speech; little do they know that it is not the president making the speech.

This is an indication that the human mind can only perceive what it wishes to perceive, rather than what the environment has to offer. If the mind might be able to perceive the environmental conditions, it would be easy to make a difference between reality and the fiction, as perceived in the book.Work CitedSacks, Oliver. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Columbia: Pan Macmillan, 2011. Print.