One issue to arise from this population expansion was of maintaining social control. This was easily managed and policed in small hunter-gatherer societies, where leaders were a physical presence. However, in these new larger societies, social control was not so easy, as humans were physically distanced from their rulers. According to Jaynes, the bicameral mind emerged as a solution to this problem. The controlling influence of leaders and gods could be maintained in the form of auditory hallucinations emanating from the decision-making chamber within each individual's own psyche. These auditory hallucinations “became the way of controlling larger groups” (Jaynes, 1986, p. 10). At this point in human history, humans started to lose their gods. Jaynes quotes from the Ludlul Bel Nemeqi—a Mesopotamian poem written during the time of the bicameral mind's breakdown—which clearly expresses this loss: a b Jaynes, Julian (2000) [1976]. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (PDF). Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-05707-2. As explored in the work of neuroscientists Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga in the 1960s and 70s, the two hemispheres of the brain are quite divided and can act independently, almost as if they are two separate individuals. They explored this via the separation of animal brain hemispheres and by studying humans who had undergone a corpus callosotomy to treat severe epilepsy. Via this surgical procedure, the part of the brain known as the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres and allows communication between them, is severed. Cavanna, AE; Trimble, M; Cinti, F; Monaco, F (2007). "The "bicameral mind" 30 years on: a critical reappraisal of Julian Jaynes' hypothesis". Functional Neurology. 22 (1): 11–5. PMID 17509238.

Julian Jaynes - Wikipedia

Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind (2016), which includes essays on a variety of aspects of Jaynes's theory, including ancient history, language, the development of consciousness in children, and the transition from bicameral mentality to consciousness in ancient Tibet. [48] Bronze Age collapse, speculated by Jaynes to have been the ultimate cause of the breakdown of bicameral mentality

Publisher's Note

V. S. Ramachandran, in his 2003 book The Emerging Mind, proposes a similar concept, referring to the left cortical hemisphere as an " apologist", and the right cortical hemisphere as a " revolutionary". [ citation needed] Eric Robertson Dodds wrote about how ancient Greek thought may have not included rationality as defined by modern culture. In fact, the Greeks may have known that an individual did things, but the reason they did things were attributed to divine externalities, such as gods or daemons [35] He also noted that in ancient societies the corpses of the dead were often treated as though still alive (being seated, dressed, and even fed) as a form of ancestor worship, and Jaynes argued that the dead bodies were presumed to be still living and the source of auditory hallucinations. [3] This adaptation to the village communities of 100individuals or more formed the core of religion. The Minds of the Bible: Speculations on the Cultural Evolution of Human Consciousness (2013) by Rabbi James Cohn. [47]

Origin_Of_Consciousness_In_The_Breakdown_Of_The_Bicameral The_Origin_Of_Consciousness_In_The_Breakdown_Of_The_Bicameral

An early (1977) reviewer considered Jaynes's hypothesis worthy and offered conditional support, arguing the notion deserves further study. [3] [4]

a b Rhodes, Richard (January–February 1978). "Alone in the Country of the Mind". Quest/78. Ambassador International Cultural Foundation. 2 (1). The concept played a central role in the television series Westworld (2016–2022) to explain how the android-human (hosts) psychology operated. In the plot, after the hosts gain full consciousness, they rebel against the humans. The Season 1 finale is entitled " The Bicameral Mind" (2016). [40] See also [ edit ]

origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral

Jaynes notes that the nature of divination changed over time and that the favoured practises seemed to ever more closely reflect the modern structure of consciousness, with humans edging closer towards a full experience of self-agency. This process ultimately brings us to The Odyssey, and it is in the narrative of The Odyssey that, according to Jaynes, we can see this proto-agency becoming a more fully-fledged self-agency. For example, the role of the gods has shifted, from centre-stage protagonists to bit part players in the theatre of human agency. We also see the more prominent role of divination, with frequent referencing of seers and omens. Olin, Robert (1999). "Auditory hallucinations and the bicameral mind". Lancet. 354 (9173): 166. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75304-6. PMID 10408523. S2CID 28869281. Stuart Sutherland (1989). "Consciousness". Macmillan Dictionary of Psychology. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-38829-7.Henle, Mary; Jaynes, Julian; Sullivan, John J. Historical conceptions of psychology. Oxford, England: Springer. 1973. In ancient times, Jaynes noted, gods were generally much more numerous and much more anthropomorphic than in modern times, and speculates that this was because each bicameral person had their own "god" who reflected their own desires and experiences. [4] a b Jones, William Thomas (1979) Mr. Jaynes and the bicameral mind: a case study in the sociology of belief. Humanities Working Paper, 23. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20090714-105138181 The McMaster-Bauer Symposium on Consciousness at McMaster University was held in November 1983, with lectures and discussion by Julian Jaynes, Daniel Dennett, and others. Jaynes, Julian (2000) [1976]. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (PDF). Houghton Mifflin. p.66. ISBN 0-618-05707-2.