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Princeton University psychologist Julian Jaynes's revolutionary theory on the origin of consciousness or the "modern mind" remains as relevant and thought-provoking as when it was first proposed. Supported by recent discoveries in neuroscience, Jaynes's ideas force us to rethink conventional views of human history and psychology, and have profound implications for many aspects of modern life.
Included in this volume are rare and never before seen articles, lectures, interviews, and in-depth discussions that both clear up misconceptions as well as extend Jaynes's theory into new areas such as the nature of the self, dreams, emotions, art, music, therapy, and the consequences and future of consciousness.
A must read for anyone seriously interested in Jaynes's theory.
An instant collector's item, the book includes:
- Discussion of the life of Julian Jaynes.
- All of Jaynes's relevant articles and lectures for the first time gathered together in one volume.
- Previously unpublished lectures by Julian Jaynes, including "The Dream of Agamemnon," which extends his theory to dreams and the discovery of time, and "Imagination and the Dance of the Self," discussing the nature of the self, emotions, and the consequences of consciousness.
- Rare and previously unpublished radio and in-person interviews and in-depth question and answer sessions with Julian Jaynes discussing many aspects of his theory, including: the nature of consciousness, dreams, consciousness in children, cognition in animals, the discovery of time, the nature of the self, the mentality of tribes, emotions, art, music, poetry, prophecy, mental illness, therapy, the consequences and future of consciousness, brain hemisphere differences, vestiges of the bicameral mind, and much more. In these interviews and discussions, Jaynes addresses nearly every question one might have about his theory.
- A 22 page Introduction by Marcel Kuijsten discussing Jaynes's influence and the latest new evidence for his theory.
This first edition hardcover is available exclusively through the Julian Jaynes Society.
In addition to ordering the book using PayPal, you can also order with check or money order using the order form:
"Julian Jaynes's theories for the nature of self-awareness, introspection, and consciousness have replaced the assumption of their almost ethereal uniqueness with explanations that could initiate the next change in paradigm for human thought."
— Michael Persinger, in Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness
"... A theory that could alter our view of consciousness, revise our conception of the history of mankind, and lay bare the human dilemma in all its existential wonder."
— James E. Morriss, in ETC: A Review of General Semantics
"Some of Jaynes's original ideas may be the most important of our generation."
— Ernest Rossi, in Psychological Perspectives
"Neuroimaging techniques of today have illuminated and confirmed the importance of Jaynes's hypothesis."
— Robert Olin in Lancet
"... One of the clearest and most perspicuous defenses of the top-down approach [to consciousness] that I have ever come across."
— Daniel Dennett, in Brainchildren
"... I sympathize with Julian Jaynes's claim that something of great import may have happened to the human mind during the relatively brief interval of time between the events narrated in the Iliad and those that make up the Odyssey."
— Antonio Damasio, in Self Comes to Mind
"Julian Jaynes is a scholar in the broad original sense of that term. A man of huge creative vitality, Julian Jaynes is my academic
man for all seasons."
— Hubert Dolezal, in The MacLeod Symposium
"One's first inclination is to reject all of it out of hand as science fiction, imaginative speculation with no hard evidence; but, curiously,
if one is patient and hears out the story (Jaynes's style is irresistible) the arguments are not only entertaining but persuasive."
— George Adelman, in Library Journal
"Scientific interest in [Jaynes's] work has been re-awakened by the consistent findings of right-sided activation patterns in the brain, as retrieved with the aid of neuroimaging studies in individuals with verbal auditory hallucinations."
— Jan Dirk Blom, in A Dictionary of Hallucinations
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