I've had a somewhat similar experience. The answers Jaynes's theory provides on the origin of religion had a profound impact on my worldview very early on. Another area is the idea that consciousness is learned, therefore variable and, at least to some degree, can be improved upon. I began thinking ...

Here's an interview and recent article on Julian Jaynes's bicameral mind theory and "Westworld":

The Bicameral Mind Explains What's Next for Westworld

Why the Bicameral Mind Theory Is Crucial to Unlocking Westworld

Julian Jaynes's theory will be featured in the new HBO series "Westworld." Julian Jaynes will be mentioned by name and his theory will be discussed by Anthony Hopkins' character Dr. Robert Ford starting in Episode 3, "The Stray." The season finale (Episode 10) is even titled &quo...

It is amazing if you step back and think about how our entire world has been shaped by auditory hallucinations. Here's my take on the process, summarized very briefly: We evolved over millions of years, and during this process much of what we understand as morality was encoded in our genes. Those th...

Thanks for sharing these resources. I remember listening to the Radiolab "Words that Change the World" when it first came out and it's a good one, worth listening to again! It sounds like there are similarities between A Man Without Words and Hellen Keller's autobiography The Story of My L...

Now available, the latest book on Julian Jaynes's bicameral mind theory, Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind: The Theories of Julian Jaynes . Table of Contents: Introduction by Marcel Kuijsten 1. Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind: The Theories of Julian Jaynes, Charles Hampden-Turner 2. Reflecti...

Well it could be said to be related insofar as all religion is a vestige of the bicameral mind, and obviously some people will want to preserve the structures, hierarchies, and formal teachings built up around the last utterances of the gods more so than others. The Catholic Church is now struggling...

For the researchers to say that they know the content of dogs' dreams is highly speculative at best. It is tempting to read into twitching paws our own dream experience, but it is very unlikely that dogs or other animals without language have vicarial, translocative (in other words, conscious) dream...

I agree with Ottoworks. Bicamerality is not merely a historical curiosity but rather it is essential for an accurate understanding of the present human condition. In bicamrality, Jaynes offers the best explanation of the origin of gods and therefore religion. Bicamerality is the best explanation for...

Regarding the widespread vestiges of bicamerality in preliterate societies, as I mentioned please see the posts in this section of the forum: http://www.julianjaynes.org/jjsforum/viewforum.php?f=13 Vestiges of bicamerality in preliterate societies is also discussed in the introduction to The Julian ...

Yes reactivity to external stimuli is one aspect but I think the majority of what is often now lumped in with consciousness is sense perception. Jaynes is very clear about his definition, whereas the majority of others writing on consciousness don't define exactly what it is they are talking about, ...

Yes Jaynes felt that consciousness as he defines it is learned based on metaphorical language, and then taught to each successive generation. We are now seeing a growing body of evidence to support this in child development studies. Pre-literate societies could have learned consciousness independent...

Yes, you're touching on one of the major problems plaguing the field of consciousness studies in general (i.e., lack of a widely agreed upon lexicon), and the understanding of Jaynes's theory in particular. Most of the critiques of Jaynes's theory are by individuals who haven't read his book and thi...

That's a great question. It may have been viewed that way as consciousness opens the door to the possibility for evil.... whereas animals are amoral, through consciousness humans for the first time had the capacity for evil.

For a variety of reasons, myths and misconceptions about Jaynes's theory abound. Often those who write or comment on Jaynes's theory unfortunately don't first take the time to properly understand it. They seem to often skim the book, only read a summary of it, or for other reasons jump to conclusion...