Difference between revisions 560567736 and 560698484 on enwiki

{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
| image =
| caption =
| author = [[Julian Jaynes]]
| country = [[United States]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| genre = [[Psychology]]
| publisher = [[Houghton Mifflin Company]]
| release_date = 1976
| media_type = Print
| pages = 467
| isbn = 0-395-32932-9
}}
'''''The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind''''' is a 1976 book by [[Julian Jaynes]] which makes the case that a bicameral mentality, a state in which cognitive functions are divided between one part of the brain which appears to be "speaking", and a second part which listens and obeys, was the normal and ubiquitous state of the human [[mind]] as recently as 3000 years ago.

== Jaynes' case for bicameralism ==⏎
According to Jaynes, ancient people in the bicameral state of mind would have experienced the world in a manner that has some similarities to that of a [[schizophrenia|schizophrenic]]. Rather than making conscious evaluations in novel or unexpected situations, the person would hallucinate a voice or "god" giving admonitory advice or commands and obey without question: one would not be at all conscious of one's own thought processes ''per se''. Research into "command hallucinations" that often direct the behavior of those labeled schizophrenic, as well as other voice hearers, supports Jaynes's predictions.<ref>{{cite article | last=Erkwoh, R. et al  | title=Command Hallucinations: Who Obeys and Who Resists When?  | journal=Psychopathology | year= 2002 | volume = 35 }}</ref>

Jaynes built a case for this hypothesis that human brains existed in a bicameral state until as recently as 3000 years ago by citing evidence from many diverse sources including historical literature. He took an [[interdisciplinary]] approach, drawing data from many different fields.<ref name="EvidenceSummary">{{cite web | year=1998–2006 | last=Kuijsten | first=Marcel | url=http://www.julianjaynes.org/evidence_summary.php | title=Summary of Evidence | accessdate=2006-05-22}}</ref> Jaynes asserted that, until r(contracted; show full)* [http://www.erikweijers.nl/pages/translations/psychology/the-origin-of-consciousness.php ''The Origin of consciousness'': Summary, selected quotes and review]

{{Laterality}}

[[Category:1976 books]]
[[Category:English-language books]]
[[Category:Neuroscience books]]
[[Category:Cognitive science literature]]