Julian Jaynes Society Forum: Exploring Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind Theory

General Discussion
General discussion regarding Jaynes's theory of consciousness and the bicameral mind. Please only post your topic here only if it does not fit into a more specific category below.

News Items Related to Jaynes's Theory
Recent news relevant to Julian Jaynes's theory of consciousness and the bicameral mind.

Conferences, Events, and Local Discussion Groups
Announcements for conferences and events. If you'd like to organize a local discussion group in your area, list it here.

Book Discussion: Origin of Consciousness; Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind; The Julian Jaynes Collection; Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness
Discussion and questions specific to The Origin of Consciousness; Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind; The Julian Jaynes Collection; and Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness books.

Julian Jaynes
Discussion of anything related to Julian Jaynes the person, including biographical information and personal experiences.

Myths and Misconceptions About the Theory
People often misunderstand aspects of Jaynes's theory, and critiques of the theory are often based on misconceptions about the theory rather than what Jaynes actually said. We've created this section of the forum for users to post misconceptions that they find, along with clarifications.

1.0. Hypothesis One: Consciousness Based On Language
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's first hypothesis - that consciousness (as he carefully defines it) is based on language, and related topics.

1.01. Hypothesis One: Consciousness Based On Language | Subtopic: Consciousness & Dreams
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's first hypothesis, that consciousness (as he carefully defines it) is based on language, specifically the subtopic of dreams, lucid dreams, and conscious vs. bicameral or visitation dreams as a way to gauge the development of consciousness in children and cultures.

1.02. Hypothesis One: Consciousness Based On Language | Subtopic: Consciousness in Children
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's first hypothesis - that consciousness (as he carefully defines it) is based on language, specifically the development of consciousness in children based on language.

2.0. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - that before the development of consciousness, humans operated under a previous mentality called the bicameral mind.

2.1. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: Auditory Hallucinations in Normal Adults
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopic of auditory hallucinations in the normal population.

2.2. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: Hallucinations & Imaginary Companions in Children
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopic of auditory hallucinations and imaginary companions in children, and imaginary companions as a vestige of the bicameral mind.

2.3. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: Hypnosis, Possession & Altered States of Consciousness
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopic of hypnosis, trance states, and possession as vestiges of the bicameral mind.

2.4. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: Religion & the Bicameral Mind
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopics of the implications of the bicameral mind theory for religion, neurotheology, and the origin of religion.

2.5. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: Schizophrenia
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopic of schizophrenia and schizophrenia as a vestige of the bicameral mind.

2.6. Hypothesis Two: The Bicameral Mind | Subtopic: The Mentality of Pre-Literate & Pre-Modern Peoples
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's second hypothesis - the bicameral mind, specifically the subtopic of the mentality of preliterate societies, theories of primitive religion, and vestiges of bicameral mind in preliterate societies.

3.0. Hypothesis Three: Dating the Development of Consciousness
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's third hypothesis - dating the development of consciousness to roughly 1500-1200 BCD in Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia (the transition occurred at different times in different places around the world). Includes analysis of ancient texts (such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Bible), linguistics, and archeological evidence from ancient civilizations as it pertains to the transition from the bicameral mind to consciousness.

4.0. Hypothesis Four: Jaynes's Neurological Model for the Bicameral Mind
Discussion of Julian Jaynes's fourth hypothesis - his neurological model for the bicameral mind.

The Bicameral Mind in Fiction, Film & Popular Culture
Discussion of the influence of Jaynes's theory on works of fiction, film, and in popular culture.

Information for Students
Information for students interested in studying Julian Jaynes's theory, including grad school programs, internships, research topics, networking, etc.