Yes he misread or misremembered Jaynes on this point, probably confusing the Thera explosion with a meteor impact. Despite this confusion, I think Stove articulates the significance of the theory to the origin of religion better than anything I've seen. When it comes to Julian Jaynes's theory, misco...

Thank you Winston for getting the ball rolling with your very interesting and personal account. I was wondering if, looking back, you feel there were any signs during your childhood that might have foreshadowed the onset of schizophrenia? I had a childhood friend who, although we lost touch many yea...

One barrier to understanding or accepting Jaynes's theory for some is the notion that auditory hallucinations played such a prominent role in the bicameral mentality. People tend to keep their voice hearing experiences to themselves. However when people learn of my interest in the subject, they are ...

Some of these ideas I addressed some time ago in another thread ("Rise of One True God Religions") but since (as you have accurately pointed out) this seems to be a very popular thread, I'll make some comments here as well. My aim is not to discourage anyone from having their own interpret...

I've heard of the idea of wheat being associated with auditory hallucinations before but it's been several years and at the moment I don't remember where. I've heard of treatments involving high doses of vitamin B -- have you been able to find studies of a non-wheat diet as a possible treatment for ...

Yes, and even more to the point, Socrates had what he called a daimon, or "divine guide" — a hallucinated voice that deterred him from taking certain actions. Socrates: "The favor of the gods has given me a marvelous gift, which has never left me since my childhood. It is a voice wh...

Perhaps this is somewhat off-topic, but the Garden of Eden could be a metaphor for the change from the bicameral mind to full Jaynesian Consciousness - the Garden of Eden could be Earth before agricultural-based civilizations. Yes, however this may be a case of one of Jaynes's ideas bubbling up fro...

Interesting ideas. Your post also brings to mind comments by Walter Ong on the transition of cultures from oral to literate ( Orality and Literacy ) as well as the possible effects of writing on the brain (one book I've been meaning to read is The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implica...

I'm glad to hear you were able to find a copy.

Since you are interested in hypnosis, you might also consider learning self-hypnosis if you have the time and the inclination. I was able to learn hypnosis and self-hypnosis from books — it's a very powerful tool.

Some of you interested in schizophrenia might enjoy this new documentary: FRONTLINE: The Released This documentary can be viewed as supplementary material for Jaynes's chapter "Verbal Hallucinations and Preconscious Mentality" in Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness . "Five years ...

Thanks Robert, for helping to spread the word. I'll check out your book!

RE: Moses hallucinating. This was proposed not too long ago by Professor Benny Shannon at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He suggested hallucinogens were involved, but those familiar with Jaynes's bicameral mind theory of course know this would not be necessary. If you are interested in exploring th...

Thanks I will take a look. A lot of people like to read posts here but not everyone is inclined to post replies, I wouldn't take it personally!

Dean,

You might also take a look at Fredric Schiffer's Of Two Minds: The Revolutionary Science of Dual-Brain Psychology, although I remain skeptical of some of his claims.

This is an interesting question that Jaynes preferred to avoid discussing in interviews because of it's potential for controversy. According to Jaynes, consciousness is composed of at least six different features: 1. Spatialization 2. Exerption 3. Analog "I" 4. Metaphor "me" 5. N...