In two minds

I recently finished reading "The origin of consciousness in the break down of the bicameral mind" by Julian Jaynes. He was a lecturer, researcher and associate professor in psychology at Princeton University.

Jaynes main theory is that humans had no consciousness, until 3000-4000 years ago. At that time a shift in the way Eurasions thought happened. They started having a consciousness. There are traces after it in greek and mesopotamian culture, and in The Old Testament. This shift might have happened at other times in other parts of the World. In America, it might not even have taken place before Europeans began exploration of the continent in the 1500s.

Instead of a mind with a consciousness, humans had what Jaynes calls a "bicameral" mind. If you have a bicameral mind you hear voices that tells you what to do.

This sounds really outlandish when you hear about it at first. Less so, when you know that Jaynes has a special definition of consciousness. He elaborates on it in the book. It is not what you would hear from people on the street.

Here is my distillate. I hope it is faithful... Consciosness, in Jaynes definition, is to have a model of one self and ones surroundig world in ones mind. Jaynes calls this a "subjective" mind. The model gives an understanding of time and place. It is used to build and modify narratives, which are ones theories about cause and effect. The model is also used for simulations to answer what-if questions.

Most of the time we live our lives in a sort of autopilot mode. Like when we drive a car, mow the lawn, walk to the supermarket. Activities where we would be able to have a conversation at the same time, or listen to a podcast. But when we are stressed or have a moment for it, we turn on our consciousness and build narratives or run simulations. Then conversations and podcasts will be distractions.

People with a bicameral mind also lived most of their lives in autopilot mode. But when they were stressed, they would hear voices. That would help them through difficult situations. If voices failed to appear they would consult idols or places of worship, which would trigger the hearing of voices.

The bicameral voices were of course hallucinations. They were internal communication in the brain. The brain is divided into areas that each have some function. In the left brain hemisphere is Wernickes area. It is where spoken language is understood. Symmetrically opposite, in the right hemisphere, is an area that does not have any known function. The internal communication went from this mirror-area, through the anterior commissure, to Wernickes area. Here it was perceived as voices. In other words the right hemisphere told the left what to do.

In the book, Jaynes adds one theory after another, and builds a large framework around his main theory. His book is quite a mouthful. This is incidentally also my comment on the book. If you find the subject interesting, I recommend you do not start out by reading Jaynes book. Look for reviews, podcasts or other alternative treatments instead. If you persevere, you will naturally come to the book at some point, and you will then be better prepared for reading it.

Jaynes does not give any hard evidence for any of all his theories. Instead he makes them plausible by presenting one piece after another that fits nicely into the frame, so that even the most sceptic reader has to surrender in the end. In many ways this was like reading von Däniken, just on a more credible level.

No hard evidence? Is Jaynes wrong then? I think it is safe to say yes to that, at least for some of his minor theories. The sheer number of them sort of guarantees that at least one ought to be wrong, just from applied probability theory alone. But his main theory is strong, speculative but strong. It has not been refuted since the book was published almost 50 years ago. The big picture can be correct, even if some details are wrong.

Thinks through a difficult situation. Weighs pros and cons. Can sometimes obsess over problems, thinking about them day and night.	Hears a strong commanding voice when in a stressful situation. Also seeks out these voices through rituals and idols.
Thinks of a self. Imagines a mind in other people, in animals and even in things.	Does not have a concept of self. Everything in the world is controlled by gods.
Strives for a position in the community. Questions how things are done.	Fits into the community, filling out their role. Only deviates from this if a voice says so.
The law is written down or carefully handed down. It is so complex that there is a class of lawyers for interpreting it. Everyone looks for loopholes in the law.	The law is god given. It is not written down, as it is obvious to everyone what it is. In corner cases the ruler is asked. The ruler is the supreme god, or is chosen by him. Lawbreakers are few.
Appreciates jokes. Can joke around.	Has no sense of humor. Joke tellers are weird people.