Julian Jynes

and the problem of consciousness

E. New

	

Jaynes asserts that the bronze age mentality was "bicameral".
That the voices attributed to various dieties were hallucinations,
generated in the unconscious right hemisphere, and the work
activities went on in the semi-conscious left hemisphere.

 '[Jaynes] Presents a theory of the bicameral mind which holds
 that ancient  peoples could not "think" as we do today and were therefore
 "unconscious," a result of the domination of the right hemisphere;
 only catastrophe forced mankind to "learn" consciousness, a
 product of human history and culture and one that issues from
 the brain's left hemisphere. Three forms of human awareness,
 the bicameral or god-run man; the modern or problem-solving man;
 and contemporary forms of throwbacks to bicamerality (e.g.,
 religious frenzy, hypnotism, and schizophrenia) are examined
 in terms of the physiology of the brain and how it applies
 to human psychology, culture, and history.'
 from a book review of "Origin of Consciousness.." by Jaynes [1]




In order to state his ideas in a more scientific manner, it could
be said that there is litttle doubt that the primitive early
mentalities probably differed from a sophisticated modern one.

But there was not only variation in world-views in ancient times,
there seems to be profound differences now, too.

In light of that, Jaynes seems to be making the error that
Burt Alpert calls, "The fallacy of the excluded middle." [2]

According to Professor MuKraken, Carl Sagan, in his recent book,
"Demon Haunted World" [3] reports that half of the present world
population believes the Earth is flat. I can report that about
half of the population of Memphis does not subscribe to evolution.
even though they don't mind paying for a medical test using DNA
and modern biotechnology. (That is like using electric lights,
but not believing in electricity.)

In the book "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the
Bicameral Mind" Jaynes makes a good argument that the citizens of
early civilizations were not conscious the way we now percieve ourselves.
There is litle use of the word "I" or the concept of self in either
the 'Iliad' or in ancient Sumerian writings. He has extensive
psycholinguistic detailed evidence from ancient writings to support
this thesis.

I think the same argument can be used to compare the fundamentalist
world-view with that of the educated person, or the cosmopolitan view.

It would seem that even in the U.S. you can find groups who clain that
they do not understand, or even approve of metaphor. That defines
the fundamentalist "literal interpretation" position on ancient writing.

Jaynes points out that metahor is an esential part of undrestanding
language the way we do now. And that written language was essential
to develop the concepts of self and the interior space of imagination.

It would appear that the modern fundamentalists in various cultures
have profoundly different ideas about what is going on in the outside
world, and probaby also profoundly inhabit diferent interior mental spaces
than an intellectual or professional in our society.

Statements by the Bush(R) administration imply that they do not
subscribe to the views held my most scientists about global warming,
that they do not feel compelled to uphold any treaties, and the
opinions stated about conservation in general reveal a profoundly
archaic world picture. We can only guess at what passes for consciousnes
in these individuals' interior mental spaces.

I think it would be too harsh to deny that they have consciousness as
Jaynes does for the denizens of early civilizations. it is just
quantitatively and qualitatively different from the type of consciousness
that academics and intellectuals are used to considreing.

The importance of understanding this difference is emphasized by recent
events. Recently people of an un-imaginably primitive world-view have
been able to purchase airline tickets. Previously economic and cultural
differences prevented this from happening.

  "In 1993, the supreme religious authority of Saudi Arabia, Sheik
Abdel-Aziz
   Ibn Baaz, issued an edict, or fatwa, declaring that the world is flat.
   Anyone of the round persuasion does not believe in God and should be
punished."
   Carl Sagan,[3]

   "If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question
authority,
   then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens
   are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for
us.
   In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific
method
   and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency,
   humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit
   by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the
   enveloping darkness." Carl Sagan [3]

[1] Julian Jaynes Society web page:

[2] Burt Alpert, "Inversions, A study of Warped Consciousness"

[3] "The Demon-Haunted World : Science As a Candle in the Dark", Carl Sagan

More

http://www.oocities.org/mtracy9/

http://www.2think.org/dhw.shtml

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