This is an interesting book that I have never read but known for quite a while. I have always thought that the theory that is put forward in it seemed a bit absurd, but recently I have been reflecting on its' potential validity.
In his book, Origins of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral brain, Julian Jaynes proposes that our consciousness of today was different 3.000 years ago. Ancient people was not able to think and introspect in the way we do and their mind was more similar to a schizophrenic's. They tended to hallucinate, see signs and have visions about spirits and gods that were actually reflections of their own thought processes, only that they were not aware of this. This all started to change with the sophistication of human language and the introduction of writing. The sophistication of language enabled the brain's processes to become more integrated. The problem of this theory is that it is not possible to know the anatomy of a brain of an ancient person. 3.000 years is also a very short time for evolution to make major changes. The evidence is mainly based on writings of ancient people and it is therefore difficult to prove. Personally I would assume that the mental abilities of ancient individual were similar to the modern man, but that culture and society affected thought processes and consciousness about thinking. Introspection and metacognition may be abilities that need to be taught through education and reading may have an affect on it as well. Apparently ancient languages do not have a word for introspection. It is very likely that people of the time believed in spirits, gods and visions (as people still do today). It is also possible that leaders used these superstitions for manipulation and social control. Here is a youtube link to a talk about Julian Jaynes theory.
2 Comments
ling
1/7/2013 05:16:51 pm
i don't think it makes sense how having hallucinations and misjudging them as one's own reality can be an evolutionary trait.
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Mr Hansson
1/8/2013 05:10:41 pm
Hi Ling, nice to hear from you. I haven't been writing on my blog for a while, as you probably have noticed...Thanks for your response!
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AuthorThis is my class blog for IB Psychology. Here I will publish reflections on psychology, reviews of psychology books, recommended links, lecture notes, and information on psychology topics that are not covered by the syllabus. You are free to add comments or ask me questions. Archives
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