# Mind

**Status:** retained / refined (Phase II, 2026-08-12)  
**Working gloss:** Mind = Model (adaptive control through models)  
**See also:** H3, H4, RQ3, RN-001, RN-006, `research/cognitive-science/mind-as-model-map.md`

## 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**

“Model” means an **action-guiding structure that can be revised**, not only
explicit propositional representation.

## Precedents

| Tradition | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Ashby; Conant & Ashby 1970 | regulation requires a model |
| Predictive processing / active inference | generative models unite perception and action |
| Inverse planning (Baker et al.) | Other-Model as inference from behavior |
| Extended / distributed cognition | Mind not confined to one substrate |
| Social cognition (RN-006) | self/other/relation models co-adapt through interaction |

## Social Mind model families

| ID | Model |
|---|---|
| SM1 | World |
| SM2 | Self |
| SM3 | Other |
| SM4 | Reflected-Self |
| SM5 | Relationship |
| SM6 | Shared Situation |
| SM7 | Common Ground |
| SM8 | Generalized Social |

Social Mind is a specialization of Mind for multi-Being interaction — not a
second kind of mind.

## Co-adaptive model building

Joint evolution of models through interaction (not model exchange). Models can
be self-confirming or self-defeating because they change the evidence stream.

Definition: `research/social-cognition/co-adaptive-model-building.md`

## Quality metrics (beyond accuracy)

Calibration, revisability, differentiation of counterparts, perspective
separation (mine / yours / yours-of-mine).

## Crosswalk (Phase II)

| Adjacent term | Similarity | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| generative model (PP) | action-guiding predictive structure | PP often neural-centric |
| theory of mind | other-modeling | ToM often private; Social Mind is interactional |
| common ground | shared acceptance | one model family (SM7), not whole Mind |
| participatory sense-making | interaction constitutes understanding | may reject “model” vocabulary |

## Open issues

- OQ-055 precise scope of “model”
- Recursive depth for personhood (OQ-056)
- Collective Mind boundaries (OQ-067)

## Sources

Phase I foundations 001; Phase II cognitive-science map; RN-006 + references