Mind as states
The claim
The brain is not one unified process. It's "a set of specialized subsystems" — limbic system, prefrontal cortex, Default Mode Network, basal ganglia / reward circuits — modulated by neurotransmitters (cortisol, dopamine, serotonin) that handle state switches.
Depending on the situation, one subsystem becomes dominant. That's what the felt sense of "becoming a different person" actually is — one neural configuration taking the foreground while others go quiet.
Key phrase: "the same brain using different circuitry."
Rendered states (in Zaid's model)
| State | Primary systems | Subjective feel |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Cortisol peak + limbic | Emotional, sensitive, reactive — "a raw nerve" |
| Prayer | Default Mode Network (medial PFC, posterior cingulate) | Self-reflection, meaning-making; "a mix of clarity and illusion" |
| Work | Prefrontal cortex + dopamine | Rational, emotionless — "PFC inhibiting the limbic system" |
| Music | Auditory cortex + nucleus accumbens + ventral striatum | Mood/identity shift; recalls stored emotional states "like files from a hard drive" |
Four rendered; plausibly more states exist in the model, just not catalogued yet.
Why this matters philosophically
This is the mechanism that makes self hard. The felt multiplicity isn't illusion or pathology — it's the architecture. Any theory of self has to account for the fact that the machinery is designed to switch.
Related concepts
- self — the philosophical problem this mechanism creates
- observer — the one subsystem that watches the others rather than participating
- perspective — different states are effectively different lenses on the same life
Open questions (for future writings)
- Are these states discrete or do they blend? The piece treats them as modes; lived experience is often mixed.
- Which state is Zaid's "default" — if any?
- Does the model handle long-horizon states (depressive episodes, extended flow, periods of grief) as well as short switches?
- Can one intentionally switch states, or only notice the switches?
Sources
- 2025-12-07-states-of-brain — first source. Grounds the model neuroscientifically.
(provisional — only one source cites this theme so far)