Ancient Minds Not Conscious

Idris Riahi, Zeitschrift für junge Religionswissenschaft, 2014, 9.

Excerpt: The theory we are dealing with was first published 1976 by the title: The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (hence: The Origin of Consciousness). Princeton psychologist Julian Jaynes aims to explain what consciousness is, where it came from, and why it emerged. The presentation of the theory makes strong claims about religion as well, which are to be addressed in the following. By characterizing religion as a constitutive factor in the emergence of consciousness (“gods [as] organizations of the central nervous system”, Jaynes’ study (primarily focused on Homer’s Iliad) touches upon two old discussions in the scientific study of religion: a) What is the Early Greek concept of ‘soul’? b) Is man in the Iliad determined by the gods, or does he have free will? It is our aim to assess whether his interpretation of the Iliad provides support for his theory. It is also noteworthy that while in science of religion discourse Julian Jaynes seems to be neglected entirely, other authors have made use of his ideas on religion. We will first briefly report on the impact Jaynes has had on other scholars outside our field, and then – in reference to Daniel Dennett’s 2006 publication on religion – investigate an application of Jaynes’ understanding of religion.

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