What Does Inside Out Mean

How The Mind Works According to Disney/PIXAR’s “Inside Out”

In modern film, certain ideologies can be established within the movie itself or as its main focal point. An incredibly recent example of this concept is the children’s movie “Inside Out” created by Disney and PIXAR. The movie focuses primarily on personified emotions inside the head, giving way to how they function and affect the person they control. It also creates a clever idea on how memories are created and maintained inside one’s head and how emotions play into that process. Additionally, though, this movie indirectly creates another system by which it shows how the mind itself works in its own theory. The theory combines the excerpts of multiple long dead philosophers who have

Locke says we are born with a “Tabula Rasa”, or a “blank slate”, and that all experiences come from either sensation or reflection (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding). Riley is born with no ideas whatsoever and is only represented by the emotions which appear. Additionally, Riley, with Joy’s assistance, produces a happy memory from the sensation of comfort with parents. Afterward, Riley produces a sad memory with Sadness taking over. Next, Spinoza says that every effect has a cause and vice versa (Ethics). The personified emotions and the focal point of the movie are created by Riley’s birth and Riley’s happy and sad memories are caused by the corresponding emotions and their possession of the small, single-button control

Descartes says some ideas in the mind must be innate while others are sensory (Meditations on the First Philosophy). Fear knows to avoid the power cord without Riley herself knowing if or why it might be a danger. Riley and Disgust sense a different food through smell, triggering Disgust to take immediate action. Disgust also already knows what broccoli is, despite it being new to Riley and the rest of the emotions. Again, Spinoza says that every effect has a cause and vice versa (Ethics). Fear causes Riley to avoid the power cord and his actions are caused by prior experience with dangerous situations. Disgust causes Riley to reject broccoli at first, which in turn was caused by her innate knowledge of broccoli as an unenjoyable food to Riley. Anger causes Riley to become aggressive with Dad, caused by prior experience with dessert, knowing what it is, and now being denied it. Anger is also caused to stop after Dad’s mention of the airplane, which suggests prior experience of that as