Psychology

The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind

Julian Jaynes's 1976 book views consciousness as an acquired set of language skills, rather than an innate quality of humankind. It is a 'mental tool box' largely based on metaphor. According to Jaynes, the 'invention' of subjective consciousness took shape in the course of centuries, thereby replacing the former mentality. This old mental make-up was what Jaynes calls the bicameral mind: a mind that was occupied by so-called gods, who directly spoke to man. Jaynes insists that these 'gods' were in no sense 'a way of speaking', but instead powerful experiences with hallucinatory quality.

Summary: For readers who are unfamiliar with the book or who like to be reminded of the main arguments.

Quotes: Jaynes's fluent prose in selected quotes.

Review: A critical but positive assessment of the book as a thrilling but much-demanding reading experience. To understand this review, some knowledge of the book is required.

[There also is a Dutch version of this section]