Julian Jaynes' Bicameral Brain

Alex David Groce · 29 Oct 1998, 09:36 · from urth-v0021.mbox · original

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From: "Alex David Groce" <adgroce at eos.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) Julian Jaynes' Bicameral Brain
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 09:36:37
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Mothman said:
> Subject: (urth) Julian Jaynes' Bicameral Brain
> Has Julian Jaynes' theory expressed in "The Origin of Consciousness in the
> Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" ever been discused in relation to Wolfe's
> "Soldier of the Mist?"  If I read it right, Jaynes beleives that self
> consciousness didn't develop until about 500 B.C. and that any internal
> voices, motivations, or initiative, prior to this thinking shift, would h=
ave
> been attributed to Gods -- that in the Iliad, when the gods speak they are
> only heard by the heroes they are speaking too -- this is what makes huma=
ns
> act.  Sounds like the situation the character in Wolfe's book finds
> himself -- hallucinating gods, being at their mercy, no real concept of
> having a say in what's going on around him. Maybe not...

	I don't think we've discussed this, but it sounds as if Wolfe might
have had it in mind.  On the other hand, I think Latro actually has a fairly
developed self-consciousness (at least of the same peculiar kind as Severia=
n,
his mnemonic opposite, has)--it seems that there IS a line between the gods=
 and
the self to be found.  For example, his desire to get home seems to be a to=
ol
the gods use to manipulate him--hardly possible if he had no self to dangel=
 a
carrot in front of.
--=20
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." - John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (adgroce at eos.ncsu.edu)
Senior (Computer Science/Multidisciplinary Studies in Technology & Fiction)
'98-99 NCSU AITP Student Chapter President
608 Charleston Road, Apt. 1E (919)-233-7366
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~adgroce

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