000 years ago everyone had schizophrenia
06-08-2013, 01:38 PM
Just another thing I discussed at work today.
Julian Jaynes's strange book - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Origin-Conscious...0618057072
I first heard about this in one of Richard Dawkins's books. This is what he Dawkins said about the book:
What an intriguing comment!
Anyway - the book (which I have still yet to read) puts forward a fascinating hypothesis. It argues that until about 3000 years ago - the majority of people alive were schizophrenics who attributed their moods and thinking to voices in the head which they saw as the Gods directly commanding them to act.
Yet - today - when we read these old works (such as those by Homer) we interpret the Gods commanding people to do things as a poetic device. Whereas Julian Jaynes argues that people really did imagine the Gods were speaking to them since early human thinking was imply voices in the heads telling them to act.
It is a fascinating theory. Here are some quotes setting out his views more clearly than I have done...
And here is a nice article discussing his work some more:
http://nplusonemag.com/there-is-only-awe
Anyway - I have started to read philosophy again (after a break of about 5 years). So I will be tackling the work of Julian Jaynes soon. But I just felt like putting together this shout out whilst the subject was on my mind.
Julian Jaynes's strange book - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Origin-Conscious...0618057072
I first heard about this in one of Richard Dawkins's books. This is what he Dawkins said about the book:
Quote:Quote:
"It is one of those books that is either complete rubbish or a work of consummate genius, nothing in between!"
What an intriguing comment!
Anyway - the book (which I have still yet to read) puts forward a fascinating hypothesis. It argues that until about 3000 years ago - the majority of people alive were schizophrenics who attributed their moods and thinking to voices in the head which they saw as the Gods directly commanding them to act.
Yet - today - when we read these old works (such as those by Homer) we interpret the Gods commanding people to do things as a poetic device. Whereas Julian Jaynes argues that people really did imagine the Gods were speaking to them since early human thinking was imply voices in the heads telling them to act.
It is a fascinating theory. Here are some quotes setting out his views more clearly than I have done...
Quote:Quote:
Julian Jaynes was an American psychologist, best known for his book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, in which he argued that ancient peoples were not conscious.
Quote:Quote:
"When Julian Jaynes...speculates that until late in the second millennium B.C. men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis through all the corroborative evidence..."
- John Updike, in The New Yorker
And here is a nice article discussing his work some more:
http://nplusonemag.com/there-is-only-awe
Anyway - I have started to read philosophy again (after a break of about 5 years). So I will be tackling the work of Julian Jaynes soon. But I just felt like putting together this shout out whilst the subject was on my mind.