Kuijsten points to studies of modern voice-hearers that show that they often experience what are called "command hallucinations" that direct their behavior, very much like what Jaynes documents in the ancient world. Additionally, while Jaynes died in 1997, subsequent neuroscientific findings strike Kuijsten as supportive. Posey, Thomas (1983). "Auditory Hallucinations of Hearing Voices in 375 Normal Subjects". Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. 3 (2): 99–113. doi: 10.2190/74V5-HNXN-JEY5-DG7W. S2CID 146310857.

origin of consciousness and beyond - PMC The origin of consciousness and beyond - PMC

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. Walter J. Ong noticed that the Homeric Iliad is a structurally oral epic poem so, in his opinion, the very different cultural approach of oral culture is sufficient justification for the apparent different mentalities in the poem. The contention of changes in oral vs written forms of both the Odyssey and Iliad were in fact a main point of Jaynes argument. Jaynes uses these structural changes to expand his thesis and through philology of the Homeric poems. [32] Similar ideas [ edit ] Regarding Homeric psychology [ edit ] Sher, Leo (2000). "Neuroimaging, Auditory Hallucinations, and the Bicameral Mind". Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience. 25 (3): 239–40. PMC 1407719. PMID 10863883.There are three elements to Jaynes' theory of the origins of consciousness: (1) his definition of consciousness, (2) his notion of the bicameral mind, and (3) his argument that consciousness emerged following the breakdown of the bicameral mind. In terms of his definition of consciousness, Jaynes starts by telling us what consciousness is not, chipping away at the common misconceptions that he believes have hindered a more complete understanding of this phenomenon. Following this process of elimination, Jaynes arrives at the following definition of consciousness: the bicameral mind by its very definition directs much less of the action. The gods have less to do, and like receding ghosts talk more to each other—and that so tediously! The initiatives move from them, even against them, towards the work of the more conscious human characters ( Jaynes, 1993, p. 273).

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral

The concept played a central role in the television series Westworld 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. [42] Jaynes, J. (1986). Consciousness and voices of the mind. Can. Psychol. 27, 128–148. doi: 10.1037/h0080053 The Minds of the Bible: Speculations on the Cultural Evolution of Human Consciousness (2013) by Rabbi James Cohn, which examines the evidence for Jaynes's theory in the Old Testament. [23] Despite this criticism, there have also been notable defenders of Jaynes' theory, or at least certain aspects of his theory. For example, Dennett (1986) defends what he calls Jaynes'“top-down” approach to the problem of consciousness. Dennett is also sympathetic to Jaynes' ideas on the emergence of consciousness, namely that it may have happened relatively recently and that social/environmental factors were the driving force behind its emergence.

The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Emergence of Self-Agency

As an argument against Jaynes's proposed date of the transition from bicameral mentality to consciousness, some critics have referred to the Epic of Gilgamesh. [ citation needed] Early copies of the epic are many centuries older [29] than even the oldest passages of the Old Testament, [30] and yet it describes introspection and other mental processes that, according to Jaynes, were impossible for the bicameral mind. [ citation needed] 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]

Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind Since 1997 Exploring Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind Since 1997

Bicameral mentality has also been discussed in an analysis of Total War Saga: Troy's depiction of the Trojan War. [43]

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Michael Gazzaniga (heavily cited by Jaynes in his book) pioneered the split-brain experiments which led him to propose a similar theory called the left brain interpreter. [38] [39] Julian Jaynes proposed the theory of the bicameral mind, suggesting that early human consciousness operated differently from our modern experience. He used the term "bicameral" metaphorically to describe a mental state in which the right hemisphere's experiences were transmitted to the left hemisphere through auditory hallucinations. This concept was based on the lateralization of brain function, although not implying physical separation. In his book, Jaynes examines historical texts and archaeological evidence to support his theory. He places the origin of consciousness around the 2nd millennium BCE and suggests that the transition from the bicameral mind to consciousness was triggered by the breakdown of the bicameral system. The bicameral mind, he explains, was characterized by individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations as commands from gods, guiding their actions. The neurological model in The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind was a radical neuroscientific hypothesis that was based on research novel at the time, mainly on the Gazzaniga's " split-brain" theory. [31] [32] Today, his hypotheses are still controversial to many in the field. [33] [32] However, the more general idea of a "divided self" (contrasted with a " unitary self") has found support from psychological and neurological studies, and many of the historical arguments made in the book remain supported, and have not been disproven (although due to the theoretical nature of the work, it may require further study to experimentalize some of the ideas). [34]