Grand Challenges in Modern Sciences

We present a new interdisciplinary the Natural Systems of Mind (NSoM) journal. The editorial team believes that this journal will be able to provide an adequate response to the Great Challenges of modern sciences. Analysis of the journals indexed in the Scopus bibliometric database revealed that the key drawback of modern science is its excessive differentiation and the weakness of interdisciplinary generalization. A facet approach does not allow us to catch the holistic nature of human being and to realize a theoretical breakthrough in the study of the Sapient Human Behavior (SHB). We identified the forty branches of science, the integration of which could create a platform for breakthrough in the SHB research. The analysis of this journals showed that, according to 2021, the most common areas of research are Communication, Microbiota, Oncology, and Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, analysis of the publication landscape revealed several journals covering various aspects of the NSoM. Most of these journals are industry-specific and do not consider the subject in its diversity. The article ends with a Manifesto which proclaims the principles of publication.

Introduction

The history of science development testifies that brain storms are replaced by a breeze of applied research, the thunderous rumblings of new theories are replaced by a uniform information noise of citations. New boundaries of the possible in newly discovered areas of sciences are fencing off by an impregnable wall, behind which scientists are rapidly delving into the study of particular aspects and no longer see the horizons of future science.

The key drawback of modern science is its excessive differentiation and the weakness of interdisciplinary generalization. A facet approach does not allow us to catch the holistic nature of human being and to realize a theoretical breakthrough in the SHB research. Nowadays, the impossibility of solving either a major scientific problem, or an AI-systems design in the framework of only one scientific discipline becomes especially evident.

The mission of the NSoM is to promote effective international multidisciplinary interaction of specialists in the SHB research the Systems approach. We aim at understanding SHB through the study of systems interaction of the human brain, the mind, body, society, and AI-technology.

A huge number of controversial studies on the interaction of the brain and the mind, the mind and society, the brain and AI-technologies, and other forms the idea of exhaustion of the possibilities of rational knowledge of the world, of the limitations of the scientific method. But the louder the statements about the end of science sound, the closer is the scientific revolution. Blessed is “a time of scientific revolutions” leading to the breaking down of interdisciplinary barriers and changing the landscape of science. The degree of freedom of science is ever-increasing. What seemed impossible yesterday becomes possible today. Nowadays, any ideas, guided by not only verified calculation but also intuition and inner belief in their correctness, can be put forward and considered.

The main importance of future discoveries is these they will allow scientists a breakthrough beyond the line dividing the brain, the mind, society, and AI-technology. The breakthrough of SHB research can be a step against the prevailing canons of modern sciences. The questions are whether your ideas are crazy enough to be true, or have you enough courage to put forward and implement your new ideas?

Cognition of an individual is the cognition of the whole world. In an individual, as in a mirror, the entire universe is reflected. For millennia, the outstanding minds of humanity have been trying to solve a fundamental problem about the nature of Sapient Human Behavior. Due to the extreme complexity of this fundamental problem, research is often poorly reproducible. It needs a thorough description of experiments by indicating the essential conditions affecting the results obtained. The multiple reiterations of studies are required in different samples and under different conditions. That is why we welcome both previously unpublished materials at the intersection of various scientific disciplines of the systems foundations of the SHB research, as well as the replication of scientific data to confirm the reliability of the facts and identified patterns.

The history of sciences testifies that nothing can be neglected in science; it is precisely what cannot be that may point to the ways of a scientific discovery. That is why we urge the readers to pay attention to the randomness and the slightest deviations from the regularities.

The history of science development teaches us to draw a strong inspiration from the scientific work of the past generations’ scholars. Their breakthrough ideas were often not properly received by the scientific community at that time, but whose ideas are especially may turn out to be especial relevant today. In this regard, the editors of the journal are planning to republish articles or excerpts from earlier publish works.

As is well known, it is impossible to embrace the immensity. One of the most complex problems, which faces the team of editors, is to identify branches of science the integration of which could create a possible platform for a breakthrough SHB research. The analysis of the main trends in the Natural Systems of the Mind research is given in the second section of the manuscript.

Discussion

The main trends in SHB research

We analyzed both the content of manuscripts and the dynamics of publication activity over the past ten years (i.e., from 2010 to 2021). The evidence suggests that traditionally a large number of publications are presented in Medicine as well as Mathematics & Statistics. There is less research carried out in such fields as Biological Systems of the Mind, Pharmacology & Biochemistry, Social Sciences, and History & Philosophy of Science. The share of Psychology publications against the background of the above scientific areas seems to be extremely low.

Of particular note is the tremendous pace of Big Data Analysis development. The number of publications in this scientific branch increased in 287 times over the past ten years. The accelerated rates of development have been observed in such fields of science as Sentiment Analysis (13.6), Artificial Intelligence (10.7), Data-Driven Analysis (9.2), and Microbiota (8.5) according to publication activity. A huge number of manuscripts were revealed on Communication issues, namely, 76472 articles were published in 2019 alone. Therefore, this section is not represented in the charts.

Among the selected sections of the Biological Systems of the Mind (Fig. 1), the sections Brain-Computer Interfaces (2.35) and Neuroimaging (2.0) have the highest rates of publication. In 2014, there was a significant decline in the field of Endocrinology research. Now, the interest in endocrinological research has increased again and has recovered to the 2011 level.

The number of publications has more than doubled across all the selected areas of Linguistics over the past decade (Fig. 2). However, there are only a few publications on the Linguistics and Mind. The Sentiment Analysis is developing the most rapidly. This tool allows data analysts to assess a public opinion through the analysis of the sentiment of the text (positive, neutral or negative). It should be emphasized that one of the oldest sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, also continues its fruitful development by being embodied in new branches (Fig. 3).

Fig. 1. Publication activity in the field of Biological Systems of Mind

Fig. 2. Publication activity in the field of Linguistics.

Fig. 3. Publication activity in Mathematics & Statistics.

Fig. 4. Publication activity in Medicine.

The dynamics of publication activity in Medicine (Fig. 4) show a steadily increasing growth in the field of Oncology. It should be emphasized that among the selected branches of Medicine, the Microbiota section may be especially promising for studying the SHB systemic foundations.

According to the data presented in Fig. 5, there are five times more publications in Cognitive Psychology than in Comparative Psychology and four times more than in the Psychology of Religion & Spirituality. However, the growth rate of publication activity in Educational Psychology, Comparative Psychology, and Psychology of Religion & Spirituality is twice as high as in Cognitive Psychology. Despite the growth in publication activity, the total number of publications in Psychology is still low.

According to the data obtained (Fig. 6), the branches of Pharmacology & Biochemistry are distinguished by a uniform rate of development. However, the number of publications in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is many times greater than in other sections.

The graph presented in Fig. 7 shows a uniform and sustainable development of certain sections in the History & Philosophy of Science until 2014, after which there is an increase in publication activity in the field of Anthropology. It is noteworthy that in 2014 there was also an increase in interest in Social Sciences, among which the interest in Propaganda dominates (Fig. 8).

Fig. 5. Publication activity in selected branches of psychology.

Fig. 6. Publication activity in Pharmacology & Biochemistry.

Fig. 7. Publication activity in History and Philosophy of Sciences

Fig. 8. Publication activity in the fields of Social Sciences.

The place of the NSoM in international and Russian publication landscape

The comparison of the Russian and world trends in the publishing process, taken from the title, does not aim at opposing the Russian science to the world one. Nevertheless, such a comparison is justified for two reasons in our article. First, the NSoM largely inherits a publishing culture of the Russian Federation. This is neither good nor bad. The Russian publishing culture has a number of advantages, which we will discuss later. Secondly, this journal is international and published only in English language. Therefore, it seems appropriate to consider the place of our publication not only among international, but also among Russian scientific media.

International scientific landscape

We reviewed all the journals in the Scopus bibliometric database that have the word Mind in their names. The titles of the journals, their Cite Score, theme, and publisher are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. The list of journals in the title of which the word “Mind”.

N/A – the data not available

It should be noted that the number of this journals is limited. They thematically belong to very different disciplines and not cover the person’s holistic nature. Thus, there is a need in an interdisciplinary journal and a free niche is available in the international scientific landscape. Let’s consider each edition in more detail.

Brain and Mind is currently out of print. It was published from 2000 to 2003 (three issues per year). The journal was positioned as “A Transdisciplinary Journal of Neuroscience and Neurophilosophy”, i.e. the main emphasis in publications was placed on neurosciences. This topic will be presented in the NSoM.

Emotions and States of Mind in East Asia refers to literary publications and is not a journal, but rather a serial Eastern manuscript. It has been published since 2010. The last volume came out in 2020. Despite the seemingly complete discrepancy in topics, the NSoM will include some aspects of considered publications. In particular, it is planned to publish the Psychology of Religion & Spirituality manuscripts.

Phenomenology and Mind is the closest to the NSoM. First, it is important to stress, that it is published by Firenze University Press (FUP), all of whose journals are in the public domain. Secondly, despite the fact that the journal focuses on publications in the field of philosophy, it also deals with interdisciplinary problems in social, cognitive, and other fields.

Mindfulness is an actively developing journal published by Springer Nature.. The journal has been published since 2010 and has 12 issues per year for the last two years. The Mindfulness refers more to practices and their empirical verification. And it is of no great interest to our journal.

Time and Mind has 4 issues per year. The journal features scholarly work addressing cognitive aspects of cross-related disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, folklore, sociology, and psychology that can shape our understanding of archaeological sites, landscapes and worldviews. In general, publications in this journal are highly specialized (and thus do not correspond to the logic of the NSoM). However, there are the articles directly related to psychology.

Mind is the oldest journal with the longest history. It has been published since 1876. The current publisher is Oxford University Press. It is interesting to note that now this journal is the absolutely philosophical journal. Although first it was conceived as a place to determine the subject and role of psychology in the system of natural sciences. Over the years, the journal published such authors as L. Carroll, B. Russell, W. James, A. Turing, N. Chomsky, C. Darwin, C. Hempel, D. Searle, and others. Currently, the journal is being published four times per year. The articles are devoted still to a wide range of philosophical problems. An invariably large section is devoted to a review of published books, which will also be presented in the NSoM. We are not aim at competing with the Mind’s publications, but nevertheless we will include the section “History and Philosophy of Sciences” in our journal.

Mind, Brain, and Education has been published since 2007 and, as the name suggests, publishes articles on the interrelationship of learning, brain, and the mind. This journal is the official publication organ of the International Mind, Brain, and the Education Society (IMBES). The mission of this journal, as noted on the website, is to facilitate cross-cultural collaboration in biology, education, cognitive, and developmental sciences. Indeed, a significant portion of the articles published in the journal was a result of international cooperation. The journal is published 4 times per year. The journal pays great attention to the special issues based on the materials of conferences, as well as thematic issues. For example, the first issue of 2019 was devoted to the problem of Cyberlearning, which seems to be especially relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, the journal is focused on educational practice and can be considered as the standard for publishing pedagogical articles. The practice of specialized issues seems to us very promising. We are planning special issues in which from the standpoint of different sciences one or another urgent problem will be considered.

Springer Nature has been publishing Mind and Society since 2000. The frequency of publication is two issues per year. But in 2017-2018 the issues were merged. The journal is close to economics. The subtitle reads: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences. However, the journal according to the Scopus classifier, belongs to Philosophy. Economic issues, in general, remain outside of the NSoM scope. As the Russian satirist K. Prutkov said, “It is impossible to embrace the immensity”. We do not preclude the possibility of covering economic effects on various aspects of human life in the NSoM special issues.

Mind, Culture, and Activity is a highly interdisciplinary journal, but within social sciences. It is published by one of the largest international publishers Taylor & Francis. The publishers in write their introduction: “We encourage interdisciplinary contributions – including, but not limited to, anthropology, psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, education, linguistics, critical race theory, media studies, queer studies, disability studies, and performance studies. We particularly encourage reports of research which have engaged partnerships reflecting a diversity of cultures, nationalities, and perspectives, especially which engage those that have been traditionally marginalised in the field».  The journal topics are exclusively focused on cultural diversity. The NSoM has a much broader range of topics.

Mind and Matter is very close to the NSoM in terms of topics. It has been published since 2003 and is the official organ of the Society for Mind-Matter Research. The goal of the journal is to publish papers in the exciting fields of mind-matter relationship. The main directions of research are neuroscience, cognitive science, behavioral science, physical approaches, mathematical modeling, data analysis, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, applied metaphysics, cultural and social studies, and history of ideas. However, the NSoM adds to the presented areas both traditionally humanitarian as anthropology, and also natural sciences, like biochemistry. Moreover, we do not limit ourselves to the topic of material substrate for mental phenomena.

Advances in Mind-Body Medicine focuses primarily on non-drug treatments. The authors of the journal do not oppose themselves to traditional medicine, but their focus on possible additions: spiritual help, yoga, and others. A medicine section is also planned in the NSoM, but we focus on the interdisciplinary approaches to treatment.

The latest issues Mind and Language journal have been published by another major international Publishing House Wiley-Blackwel, 5 times a year since 1986. The journal covers research in the field of consciousness and language, primarily, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, and cognitive anthropology. A special section dedicated to linguistics is also planned in the NSoM.

Thus, the release of the Nature Systems of Mind journal thematically includes most of the existing journals, but amplifiers interdisciplinary interaction and offers authors and readers a possibility of discussion a much wider range of topics than those presented in the journals currently published. This makes it possible to fill the existing gaps in the interdisciplinary SHB research of Homo sapiens. The analysis of English-language journals proves that the appearance of such a journal is long overdue in the scientific community.

Russian publishing landscape

Despite the fact that the NSoM is an international journal which is published in English, it is made in Russia and by a team of Russian editors. In this regard, it inevitably absorbs the peculiarities of Russian publication culture. In the Russian Federation, narrow-topic journals are very rare, most of such journals arose in the last 5-10 years. Usually, the reputable journals publish papers on a wide range of issues within a certain field of science. As examples, we will cite some journals indexed in international bibliographic databases: “Questions of Psychology”, “Psychological Journal”, “Experimental Psychology”. The only English-language journal “Psychology in Russia: State of the Art” also publishes works in all branches of psychology. In this sense, the emergence of a new interdisciplinary journal, occupying an important niche in human sciences, seems highly promising. The forty thematic headings, planned in our journal, are united in eight directions: Psychology, Biological Systems of Mind, History and Philosophy of Sciences, Linguistics, Mathematics & Statistics, Medicine, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, and Social Sciences. According to our bibliometric analysis, the integration of these branches of science can create a platform for breakthrough SHB research into the nature of human behavior.

Finally, most Russian journals have open access. The NSoM is not an exception. However, Russian open access has its own peculiarity. It is usually implied that open-access journals (as opposed to journals distributed by subscription), the authors must pay for their publications. In our journal, all articles will be posted on the Internet for free download and the authors will not be charged at all. We do not exclude the possibility of changing this scheme in the future, but at the initial stage of the journal’s formation it will be like this.

The owner of the NSoM is the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  In every issue we will reserved at list one translated works of Russian authors, which have already become classical in Russia, but are not known to the English-speaking readers.

We believe that the implementation of this plan would allow us to overcome the gap between the Russian and world psychology not only in actual experimental research, but also in development of theoretical foundations and methodological basis of modern sciences about Sapient Human Behavior.

The first issue of the NSoM will contain an article by Boris Fedorovich Lomov. He was the first director of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (USSR Academy of Sciences). This article was published in 1989 in the “Psychological Journal”. The selection of this publication is not accidental. B.F. Lomov was the founder of the systems approach in psychology which implied the integration of different sciences about man. The NSoM serves the same purpose. The basic principles of the publication activities of the NSoM are presented in the next section of the manuscript.

Manifesto of the Natural Systems of the Mind

I. We maintain high standards through a rigorous peer-review alongside with strict ethical policies. The manuscripts of the authors who violate the code of professional ethics (plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, false statements of authorship) will be rejected.

II. We proclaim the principle of open access to publications which makes interdisciplinary research available online to everyone all over the world. However, we believe that the authors themselves have the right to decide to share or not to share their database.

III.  We aim at understanding sapient human behavior (SHB) through the research of systems interaction of the human brain, the mind, body, society, and AI-technology.

IV. We call for the study of Sapient Human Behavior simultaneous at the macro-, meso- and micro- levels.

V. We are committed to developing the generation of scientists of the future who would have considerable courage and would be able to overcome interdisciplinary barriers.

VI. We welcome the replication of the studies on different samples and under different conditions.

VII. We invite you to put forward and consider any ideas about the nature of Sapient Human Behavior. As they may seem insane at first glance. The question is whether they are crazy enough to be true?

VIII. We call upon the researches to pay attention to the randomness and the slightest deviations from the regularities. In science, nothing can be neglected, it is precisely what cannot be, may points to the way of scientific discovery.

IX. The information and material contained in publications are for educational, research, and information purposes only.

X. The Natural Systems of Mind makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in publications. Our journal makes no representations or guarantees to the accuracy, completeness or suitability for any purpose of the Content of the publications. Any views expressed in the publications are the views of the authors and not the views of the Natural Systems of Mind.

Welcomes

The Natural Systems of Mind is an international multidisciplinary open-access journal, and the Editors welcome submissions from scholars around the world. Publications will be free of charge until 2025. The journal presents original and valuable papers from various fields of science in Sapient Human Behavior.

The journal welcomes both previously unpublished materials at the intersection of various scientific disciplines on the study of the systemic foundations of SHB as well as the replication of scientific data to confirm the reliability of the earlier obtained facts and findings.

All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, if it found suitable for further independent anonymous expertise, to peers’ high-quality reviews.

The Natural Systems of Mind journal which it expected to be publish four times a year (No1 – March, No2 -June, No3 -September, No4 – December) has following sections in each issue: Editor’s Material, Reviews, Empirical Articles, Brief Reports, Case Studies, Book Reviews, Comments, and Meeting Abstracts.

The Natural Systems of Mind is the owner of all intellectual property rights in the publication. The publication is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved.

All manuscripts accepted for publication receive DOI.

Funding. The work was supported by the RF State Assignments nos. 0138-2021-0007 and 0138-2021-0001.

Author contributions. All persons entitled to authorship are listed. The contribution of all authors is roughly equal. The authors approved the final version and bear responsibility for all aspects of the publication.

Competing interests. None.