It is an over-generalization, and a misunderstanding, of Descartes' procedure of "withdrawing the mind from the senses" in the Meditations for the purposes of doing metaphysics.
This means that, in order to procure the fundamental truths of metaphysics, we must "withdraw the mind from the senses" (7:4, 12, 14) and turn toward our innate ideas of the essences of things, including the essences of mind, matter, and an infinite being (God).
The novel's hero and leader of the strike, John Galt, describes the strike as "stopping the motor of the world" by withdrawing the minds of the individuals most contributing to the nation's wealth and achievement.
Hatha Yoga, ( Sanskrit: "Discipline of Force") school of Yoga that stresses mastery of the body as a way of attaining a state of spiritual perfection in which the mind is withdrawn from external objects.
Gerrard was withdrawn with Ukraine in mind for the second half and presumably the same can be said for Aaron Lennon, who operated on the opposite flank to Gerrard with mixed results.
After Ms. Vaccari and Ms. Zappavigna agreed to lease the property to Mark East Inc., a New York City-based developer, Ms. Zappavigna's lawyer notified planning board officials in an Oct. 3 letter that she had changed her mind and withdrawn her support for the agreement.
He informed them, however, of the delegates who had changed their minds and had withdrawn their support for a roll-call vote ― dropping them below the threshold they needed.
Learning about this early life of Marian's, I began to understand her withdrawn bedroom mood: the dead eyes, the shuttered mind.
Later, as people changed their minds about slavery, that permission was withdrawn and the Constitution amended.
Forty-two patients (6.1%) discontinued the study: 5 children were withdrawn during the hospitalization because the families changed their minds and 37 were lost to follow-up between days 7 and 42 (DP, 16; AL, 10; AA, 16).
