Do we think in our sleep?

[Philosophy Explorer]

It would seem so. A famous example is Kekule's benzene dream. Others may argue you have to be awake to think (a good secondary question is thinking always a part of consciousness?) So I suppose the answer may be how one defines thinking.

So you decide. Do we think in our sleep?

PhilX

[HexHammer]

You only post these silly questions for attention whoring!!

[Philosophy Explorer]

You only post these silly questions for attention whoring!!

Oh my. I do? Seems you think you know much about me. Usually people don't care about other people. I guess my silly question did get your attention (but I must admit, some of my questions you didn't find silly at all so I failed somewhere).

PhilX

[HexHammer]

If you really wanted an optimal answer you would Google the question, not ask some potential ignorent people, thus wasting your time, specially not if these people get the answer wrong.

[Philosophy Explorer]

If you really wanted an optimal answer you would Google the question, not ask some potential ignorent people, thus wasting your time, specially not if these people get the answer wrong.

Eventually though the truth would work out and a good discussion would be enjoyed by some along the way.

PhilX

[HexHammer]

If you really wanted an optimal answer you would Google the question, not ask some potential ignorent people, thus wasting your time, specially not if these people get the answer wrong.

Eventually though the truth would work out and a good discussion would be enjoyed by some along the way.

LOL? ..do you really believe that you can just cozy chat your way to the truth?

Does engineers cozy chat their way to the truth? ..so all the bridges, houses, airplanes etc that fails, the engineers involved didn't cozy chat about it?

Dude, stop being naive!

[Philosophy Explorer]

If you really wanted an optimal answer you would Google the question, not ask some potential ignorent people, thus wasting your time, specially not if these people get the answer wrong.

Eventually though the truth would work out and a good discussion would be enjoyed by some along the way.

LOL? ..do you really believe that you can just cozy chat your way to the truth?

Does engineers cozy chat their way to the truth? ..so all the bridges, houses, airplanes etc that fails, the engineers involved didn't cozy chat about it?

Dude, stop being naive!

I sure "cozy chatted" my way to successful selling when I worked in that environment.

PhilX

[Wyman]

I've read that dreaming comes from random firings from our brains. We still interpret them, as we interpret any stimulus that comes our way. So if interpreting stimuli is thinking, then we think while we sleep, at least during dreams. If, as some define it, thinking is that inner conversation we have with ourselves then no.

[HexHammer]

I sure "cozy chatted" my way to successful selling when I worked in that environment.

Please elaborate.

[Philosophy Explorer]

I sure "cozy chatted" my way to successful selling when I worked in that environment.

Please elaborate.

Successful selling involves cozy chatting with the prospects. When I started in outbound telemarketing, was used to people hanging up on me. Later on learned how to relate to people where they rarely hung up on me and did some cozy chatting. Learned a lot from the experience (later on I worked in a Best Buy store doing selling. Unsuccessful at first, adjusted my selling to overcome an obstacle and became successful at selling there too).

PhilX

[HexHammer]

Thanks for elaborating.

..now I see why you don't understand anything I say.

[cladking]

It would seem so. A famous example is Kekule's benzene dream. Others may argue you have to be awake to think (a good secondary question is thinking always a part of consciousness?) So I suppose the answer may be how one defines thinking.

So you decide. Do we think in our sleep?

I believe thought is an artefact of modern language. Learning language creates a matrix we use to think. We use this matrix to access memory and to understand things learned by previous generations. It is the root of the conscious mind and exists till death.

It's different for animals and ancient people. For them language is (was) an artefact of thought. Language simply reflected the way the brain was wired.

Today we have two different modes of operation in sleep. In stage three sleep (REM sleep) the modern language matrix processes errant signals which are dreams and partially processed "thoughts". We experience it as thinking in our sleep (dreaming). Like in our waking state this stage of sleep is controlled by our beliefs. If you believe in Freud then you can have freudian dreams. In stage two sleep the language center(s) (broca's area?) are down and the natural human brain can process information. I believe this is when we arrive at answers when we "sleep on it". The language is lost but the processing and wiring still exist.

[Philosophy Explorer]

I've read that dreaming comes from random firings from our brains. We still interpret them, as we interpret any stimulus that comes our way. So if interpreting stimuli is thinking, then we think while we sleep, at least during dreams. If, as some define it, thinking is that inner conversation we have with ourselves then no.

Would you regard interpretation as a higher brain function?

To mention I believe that dreaming is designed to help reduce our memories in some portion of our brains.

PhilX

[Blaggard]

I think we do, but I think it is a very different sort of think in the waking mind. When you are asleep the areas of higher function that usually converse freely with other areas of the mind are fragmented and slow to communicate, so you tend to have a low level of interaction with all the brains areas compared to being awake, this means fantasy is more possible it means ideas are more fluid than when your rational self is conscious. Nonetheless it still means you think but at a different level than the waking world.

Dreaming is not meant to help or inhibit memory, as far as I can tell. It is true that we don't remember often much of what we dream, but it is a process that is nonetheless vital to brain function in a way we have yet to understand. I think the brain does most of it's memory recognition deletion and insertion by way of methylisation of DNA, when we are in deep sleep. I see no evidence that it does the same thing in REM sleep. Deep sleep heals the mind more the body less, REM sleep heals the body more the mind less is my hypothesis although we do tend to have less nightmares or bad dreams as the night proceeds, which we are leass likey to remember. So I would say dreaming helps to relive the stresses of the day, which aids both mind and body so we wake up being refreshed. Much of what I said is science, much is not, feel free to consider both though.

[hammock]

So you decide. Do we think in our sleep?

I can't speak for "we", but my dream avatar and other people the former has interacted with in those solipsistic worlds have outputted many a varied life story, drinking song, invention, pick-up line, astute observation and soapbox lecture over the years. Where is that talented population during my post-alarmclock ordeals, when I could actually put their ideas to use? Worse than God, since the latter at least stays reliably hidden 24/7; and thereby keeping me removed from the frustration of vast resources being exposed during vampire-hours yet kept temptingly just out of reach when needed after dawn.