Julian JaynesThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

This book deserves to change the world. It explains so much about the past and present and what makes humans unique.Being conscious turns out to be new. Ancient Man was not. He had no self-narrative giving

I was initially skeptical about Jaynes's core theory, which states that human consciousness began as recently as 5 -6 thousand years ago and that before that time humans were obeying hallucinated inner voices that they took to be the voice of gods.At first glance it's a startling theory. At second glance, too - but in a different way, particularly when one looks at the world today to see that many, many people are still subservient to the inner commands of perceived deities.Jaynes's insights are extraordinary. Essentially, he seems to be writing about self-awareness and introspection, but his evidence is convincing and painstakingly researched. He admits that many of his ideas are, at base, assumptions, albeit supported by detailed historical substatiation, but they are nonetheless plausible and compelling, and as an investigation into how the mind works it's revolutionary. Best followed up, for added clarity, with Marcl Kuijsten's 'The Julian Jaynes Collection', 'The Origin of Consciousness...' is a mind-changing work.

The book has an intimidating title, but don't let that put you off; it's a great and thoroughly poetic read, and the ideas contained therein are not difficult to grasp, even though they are quite radical.Julian Jaynes was an ex- behaviorist, who could not subscribe to the idea that consciousness is an evolutionary, neuro- physical epi- phenomon. His thesis is based on a thorough study of Homer and the Old Testament. In Homer he noticed that none of the characters display introspection, as modern people have come to know it. In both the Iliad and in the earliest books of the Bible, people do not sit down and think before they act. They immediately obey the auditory commands of the Gods or the Elohim without any conscious reasoning. Jaynes argued that as the second millennium BC progressed, slowly the word of God or the Gods was no longer heard and in place of the lost voices, heard by everyone, people at first resorted to oracles and then slowly over a millennia or so, developed the power of conscious decision making in lieu of the "departure of the Gods". He explains this partly with reference to the eruption of Thera, around the middle of the second millennium BC, and the economic destruction of the antient order.Jaynes argues that what he called "bicameral man" was like a modern day schizophrenic. The term "bicameral" refers to the dual functions of the brain as organized in the left and right hemispheres. Bicameral man heard the voices of the Gods in his right hemisphere, and acted out the commands with the left hemisphere. There is a chapter on schizophrenia near the end of the book which I found rather too short, the most radical part of his thesis is that antient bicameral humans constantly heard auditory, and saw visual hallucinations like modern schizophrenics. Schizophrenics in Jaynes's view are like throwbacks to this earlier antient mentality. More could have been written along these lines. Modern people have tried to simulate the antient bicameral mentality with the use of hallucinogenic drugs, and ritualistic behavior, this idea could also have been expanded upon.I am a schizophrenic person who hears voices constantly. I have read some of the demeaning psychotherapeutic literature; I find Jaynes's thesis more interesting and pertinent; all of my "hallucinations" have been "auditory", visual hallucinations are more exotic, and I believe that the psycho- analytic literature on psychotic hallucinations is largely misleading. What if Gods and other inter- dimensional entities really do exist? Why do psychiatrists disbelieve schizophrenics when they say they have heard God? Many non- psychotic people hear the voice of God. The answer is that to achieve status within the psychiatric world, one has to be an atheist. My main criticisms of Jaynes's thesis is that his history is too linear. There have been periodic cosmic catastrophes throughout the history of the Earth. In 1976 there was less known of this. Humanity is periodically subject to cataclysm which disorientates and traumatizes the human psyche, and humans then have to appease the gods for forsaking them, thus introducing the idea of "sin". There are many cosmic influences which are brought to bear on the people of the Earth, many competing factions who wish to influence and control humanity, surely schizophrenics are the Mercurial messengers of this new cosmic awareness!

Very good, prompt delivery, completely satisfied with book. Would definitely recommend to others and would use again myself in the future.

This is a quite remarkable read. A bold premise bringing with it a new paradigm, but Jaynes does seem to deliver - each turn of the page brings another means by which to have you reconsider what you think you know on the topic of consciousness. Further, each claim he makes does seem to make sense, though it invariably propounds something utterly different to that with which the reader is familiar. I'd be very interested to read reviews, critiques and criticisms from people in the fields of psychology, neurology and the like, for I am a mere layman. However, from my classical and historical background, and having focused on religious history and questions of faith in my dissertations, I found no shortage of interest in this tome. It was highly recommended to me as something to have you thinking differently, and I in turn cannot recommend this highly enough.

This is one of the most extraordinary books ever written. Richard Dawkins described it as a work of "consummate genius or absolute rubbish". I first read it in 1976 when it was first published and I was blown over by it then. Jaynes argues that there was a time, about 4000 years ago, when the human race, like all other creatures on the planet, had no self-awareness and was ruled by messages or voices emanating from the right side of the brain. But I assure you that Jaynes was no crank, and backs up his theories by convincing historic evidence, and, as far as I know, no-one has ever disproved his findings. Vestiges of this age remain with us today in the form of schizophrenics who hear voices over which the patient has no control. Well worth a read.

It's hard for anyone not an up to date specialist in neurology and history to evaluate this fairly but I think that after 40 years it remains a fascinating classic. Jaynes was highly intelligent and his thesis is compelling. This book is an interdisciplinary marvel. Even if very misguided, it inspires many lines of thought. Actually I find the bicameral paradigm holds a lot of plausibility, maybe apart from the timing. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

The book is thoroughly researched and well written, but the premise is never proven. Jaynes is at least honest about this and keeps repeating that his ideas are more or less provisional assumptions. But this creates an atmosphere of mistrust. So many assumptions make it read more like a Von Daniken extrapolation from archaeological data to prove a pet theory than a serious scientific investigation into the origin of the conscious mind.

This book arrived well before the estimated delivery date. The condition was as described and expected. While used, it was still clean and very easing to use. I'll happily do business with this vendor again.

The title of my review is a quote from author and NPR radio host Don Wooten, and I think he is correct. The psychologist and author James E. Morriss wrote that Jaynes's theory "… could alter our view of consciousness, revise our conception of the history of mankind, and lay bare the human dilemma in all its existential wonder."Jaynes was far ahead of his time, and his theory remains as relevant and influential today as when it was first published. Many consider Jaynes's book to be one of the most important of the twentieth century.Since the publisher has only included one editorial review, I will add additional reviews below. But first, a word about some of the negative or critical reviews of Jaynes's book. I encourage you to view these with skepticism, as most reflect a very poor understanding of Jaynes's theory, and can easily be dismissed. Jaynes's book is not difficult to understand, but nonetheless many seem to only skim the book or for other reasons fail to grasp his ideas.The most common pitfall in understanding Jaynes's theory is misunderstanding how Jaynes defines consciousness. Jaynes defines consciousness in a very precise way (and he explains why this is so important), and confusing his definition for more broad, vague definitions of consciousness will lead to failure to understand the theory as a whole.The internet, social media, and other factors have ushered in somewhat of an epidemic of lack of humility, where many seem to feel they are qualified to weigh in on nearly everything, regardless of their background or experience with the subject matter. They are quick to offer their opinion on nearly anything, regardless of whether or not they actually know what they are talking about. Amazon also encourages this, by soliciting customer reviews. In the case of the purchase of a garden hose, a set of shelves, other household basics, and many other everyday products, this often makes sense. But for books such as Julian Jaynes's, the average person's opinion may not be all that useful, if not counterproductive.In 2016, Julian Jaynes's theory was discussed in HBO's hit series "Westworld," potentially exposing nearly a million new people to the theory. While it is wonderful that so many new people were turned on to Jaynes's fascinating ideas, it's safe to say that many of these new readers (along with many others) have little if any background with the subject matter. Just as you wouldn't trust your accountant to repair your plumbing, or your eye doctor to handle your legal affairs, so too you should be highly skeptical of the ability of Amazon reviewers with no background in the subject matter to have a sufficient enough understanding of Jaynes's theory after perhaps skimming it once to properly evaluate and review it.Jaynes's theory provides a fascinating reexamination of the psychology of our ancient past and also has far-reaching modern-day implications. Read it for yourself, and make up your own mind. Regardless of whether or not they agree with Jaynes on every point, many feel that Jaynes's book is one of the best books they have ever read -- including people like David Bowie, who included it on his list of favorite books.Since the publication of Jaynes's book, Jaynes's neurological model for the bicameral mind has been confirmed by modern brain imaging studies, his theory inspired the modern interest in hearing voices among normal people (and helped inspire the founding of the worldwide "Hearing Voices Network"), children's imaginary companions have been found to often involve actual hallucinations, his theory helped re-ignite scholarly interest in the role of language in consciousness, vestiges of the bicameral mind have been documented in many pre-literate societies, the transition from bicamerality to consciousness has been documented in other cultures (such as China and Tibet), and much more.** For more information on Julian Jaynes's theory, including new evidence that supports the theory that's been discovered since it was first published, please visit the Julian Jaynes Society at julianjaynes.org. Also be sure to take a look at our follow up books on Julian Jaynes's theory: "Conversations on Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind," "Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind," "The Julian Jaynes Collection," "Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness," and "The Minds of the Bible." **The following is a small sampling of comments by reviewers whose background and expertise puts them in a better position to offer an informed opinion on Jaynes's theory:“[Jaynes’s] basic hypothesis is probably right.” And “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind is one of those ... books … that readers, on finishing it, find that they think about the world quite differently.” — T.M. Luhrmann, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University“[Jaynes] has one of the clearest and most perspicuous defenses of the top-down approach [to consciousness] that I have ever come across.” .... "Something like what he proposes has to be right." — Daniel Dennett, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Tufts University“The weight of original thought in it is so great that it makes me uneasy for the author’s well-being: the human mind is not built to support such a burden.” — David C. Stove, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, University of Sydney“Julian Jaynes’s theories for the nature of self-awareness, introspection, and consciousness have replaced the assumption of their almost ethereal uniqueness with explanations that could initiate the next change in paradigm for human thought.” — Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Laurentian University“Neuroimaging techniques of today have illuminated and confirmed the importance of Jaynes’ hypothesis.”— Robert Olin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in Preventive Medicine, Karolinska Institute“The bold hypothesis of the bicameral mind is an intellectual shock to the reader, but whether or not he ultimately accepts it he is forced to entertain it as a possibility. Even if he marshals arguments against it he has to think about matters he has never thought of before, or, if he has thought of them, he must think about them in contexts and relationships that are strikingly new.” — Ernest R. Hilgard, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Stanford University“Daring and brilliant … well worth reading by any person interested in theories of human learning and behavior, in theory development, and in seeing a scholarly, fertile and original thinker at work.” — Martin Levit, Ph.D., Professor of Education“Some of Jaynes’ original ideas may be the most important of our generation . . . And I feel weak as I try to convey some slight impression of Jaynes’ fantastic vision in this short review. Not since Freud and Jung has anyone had the daring and background to pull together such a far reaching theory.” — Ernest Rossi, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience“This book and this man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century. I cannot recommend the book emphatically enough. I have never reviewed a book for which I had more enthusiasm. . . . It renders whole shelves of books obsolete.” — William Harrington, in The Columbus Dispatch“… Scientific interest in [Jaynes’s] work has been re-awakened by the consistent findings of right-sided activation patterns in the brain, as retrieved with the aid of neuroimaging studies in individuals with verbal auditory hallucinations.” — Jan Dirk Blom, M.D, Ph.D.“… [O]ne of the most thought-provoking and debated theories about the origin of the conscious mind.” — Andrea Cavanna, M.D.“… I sympathize with Julian Jaynes’s claim that something of great import may have happened to the human mind during the relatively brief interval of time between the events narrated in the Iliad and those that make up the Odyssey.” — Antonio Damasio, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology and Neurology, University of Southern California“[Jaynes’s] description of this new consciousness is one of the best I have come across.” − Morris Berman, Ph.D.“He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.” — Raymond Headlee, M.D. in American Journal of Psychiatry“Julian Jaynes is a scholar in the broad original sense of that term. A man of huge creative vitality, Julian Jaynes is my academic man for all seasons.” — Hubert Dolezal, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology“Having just finished The Origin of Consciousness, I myself feel something like Keats’ Cortez staring at the Pacific, or at least like the early reviewers of Darwin or Freud. I’m not quite sure what to make of this new territory; but its expanse lies before me and I am startled by its power.” — Edward Profitt, in Commonweal“… [Jaynes’s] proposal is too interesting to ignore.” — David Eagleman, Ph.D., neuroscientist, Baylor College of Medicine, in Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain“… Read the book and make up your own mind. I can guarantee that you will be enormously interested if not entirely persuaded, as I am myself.” — Charles Van Doren“… [The] more I thought about Jaynes’s thesis, the more reasonable it sounded, and the more I read in anthropology, in history, and above all, in poetry, the more evidence I found to support the idea that hallucinated voices still give socially useful commands.” — Judith Weissman, Ph.D., author and Professor of English, Syracuse University“One’s first inclination is to reject all of it out of hand as science fiction, imaginative speculation with no hard evidence; but, curiously, if one is patient and hears out the story (Jaynes’s style is irresistible) the arguments are not only entertaining but persuasive.” — George Adelman, Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, MIT, in Library Journal“The most significant book of our time . . .” — D. N. Campbell, in Kappan Magazine“It seems likely that the concept of the ‘bicameral mind’ advanced by Julian Jaynes will prove to be an insight of considerable significance.” — T. Buchan, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Zimbabwe, in Zambezia“A wonderfully intriguing and evocative book…” — J. Harold Ellens, Ph.D., in Understanding Relgious Experience

Julian Jaynes nos apresenta uma visão evolutiva, biológica e cultural sobre a origem da consciência. Talvez uma das obras mais provocativas e intrigantes que vale a pena se dedicar a entender.Em resumo, o autor propõe que pensamentos e as decisões no passado se davam por alucinações no hemisfério direito do cérebro. Tais alucinações se tornaram a base das civilizações antigas e, por consequência, o que chamamos hoje de religião. No entanto, Julian Jaynes diz que houve uma ruptura nesse modo de pensamento e as alucinações, visões e possessões se tornaram privilégio de um grupo seleto de pessoas como profetas, oráculos e videntes.Com a diminuição das alucinações, a sociedade desenvolveu a escrita e os primeiros códigos legais. A narrativa interna se torna a função essencial no lugar de comando vindos dos deuses.Julian Jaynes preenche o livro com exemplos e uma didática que torna leigos no assunto, assim como eu, em mais conhecedores do tema.

Tempi di spedizione e stato del prodotto all'arrivo, perfetti.Le recensioni dietro il libro sembrano esagerate, ma più lo si legge e più vi ci si trova d'accordo. Tiene sicuramente la mente occupata con nuove idee.Vale la pena leggerlo almeno una volta nella vita.

It may appear too opinion based here and there, but the ground idea that consciousness can be thought of as language based changed my way of thinking!If you rather think of consciousness along the lines of Thomas Nagel ~ that there is something it is like to be you ~ then keep in mind that this book is addressing consciousness from a completely different angle, if not speaking about different phenomenons overall.It is a long book, but I can 100% recommend it. If you want a short version, just read the afterword.