# Mind

**Status:** retained / refined (Phase I, 2026-08-12)  
**Working gloss:** Mind = Model (adaptive control through models)  
**See also:** H3, H4, RQ3, RN-001, RN-006

## Working definition

The adaptive modeling and regulatory dimension of a Being: how it constructs and
revises models of itself, others, environment, and relationships, and uses them
to guide action.

> **Mind = Model**

## Precedents

| Tradition | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Ashby cybernetics | regulation, variety |
| Conant & Ashby 1970 | good regulator requires a model |
| Extended / distributed cognition | Mind not confined to a single substrate |
| Social cognition (RN-006) | self/other/relation models co-adapt through interaction |

## Notes

- Prefer model-based control over intelligence or consciousness as foundation.
- “Model” should not be restricted to explicit propositional representation only
  (enactive critiques remain open — OQ-055).
- Co-adaptive model building is joint evolution through interaction, not model exchange.

## Open issues

- Minimal model apparatus for a Mind
- Recursive depth for social personhood
- Collective / distributed Mind boundaries (TE-05)

## Sources

`research/foundations/001-*.md`, `Research Note 006 — Social Mind and Co-Adaptive Model Building.md`