Julian Jaynes Society

The Bicameral Mind at 50
2026-05-11 05:00 - 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
An in-person and online (by Zoom) free event at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study (HWK) in Delmenhorst, Germany
Monday, May 11, 2026
9:00 a.m. to noon Eastern Time (North America)
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central European Time (Germany)
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Julian Jaynes’s 1976 bestseller The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Jaynes proposed that prior to about 1,200 years ago, humans lacked introspective consciousness, with the left cerebral hemisphere during times of stress interpreting thoughts from the right hemisphere as compulsory commands from the gods. Other related topics and authors will also be discussed.
The event will consist of a panel discussion with science-fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer, Brian J. McVeigh, and others.
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87511842427?pwd=[REDACTED]
(Please note: This is not a JJS event and is open to all. RSVPs are not required for this event.)
