Timing of the Breakdown of Bicameralism

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.
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JBrubaker
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Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 10:31 am

Timing of the Breakdown of Bicameralism

Post by JBrubaker »

Reading through the Old Testament, it is apparent that there were two distinct subcultures in the Levant - a semi-nomadic pastoralist society primarily in the Judean Highlands and TransJordan, and a settled, agrarian society in the lowlands and the city states.
Given the different social, economic, political, and religious structures inherent in the two subcultures, did the breakdown of the bicameral mind occur earlier in one and later in the other in the Levant? Is there evidence for one preceding the other?

I'm just throwing this out in hopes of spurring a discussion on the differential effects of social structure on the bicameral mind.
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