Bicameral mentality
In psychology, bicameralism is a controversial theory asserting that the human brain once assumed a state known as a bicameral mind in which cognitive functions are divided between one part of the brain which appears to be "speaking" and a second part that listens and obeys. The idea was proposed in the book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, written by Julian Jaynes and published in 1976. It suggested that the bicameral mind was the natural state of the human mind as recently as 3000 years ago.
The bicameral state
- At one time human nature was split in two,
- an executive part called a god, and
- a follower part called a man.
- Neither part was Consciously aware.[1]
A person in the bicameral state would behave as a typical schizophrenic. The bicameral state produces the feeling of the mind sub-ordinated, due to the receiving of orders that cannot be ignored. It has also been argued that this state of mind is present in members of cults.[2] Jaynes speculated that "voices" came from the right brain counterparts of the left brain language centres. More specifically, the counterparts to Wernicke's area and Broca's area. These regions are somewhat dormant in the right brains of most modern humans. Some suggest that with neurosurgery, a bicameral condition can be recreated with electrical stimulation of this area.
Julian Jaynes coined the term bicameralism by way of analogy to governmental bicameralism.
Julian Jaynes
Julian Jaynes proposed in 1976 that human brains existed in a bicameral state until as recently as 3000 years ago in his work The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Jaynes asserts that until the times written about in Homer's Iliad, humans did not have the "interior monologue" that is characteristic of consciousness as most people experience it today. Jaynes believes that the bicameral mental commands were at some point believed to be issued by "gods"—so often recorded in ancient myths, legends and historical accounts—were in fact emanating from individuals' own minds.
Breakdown of bicameralism
Jaynes theorized that a shift from bicameralism marked the beginning of introspection and consciousness as we know it today. According to Jaynes, this bicameral mentality began malfunctioning or "breaking down." He speculates that was due to increased societal complexity making more education a matter of necessity; resulting in the dominance of the conscious hemisphere. The mind began exercising conscious thought almost exclusively, for the first time, to enable the continued survival and success of the species or the individual. Jaynes further argues that divination arose during this breakdown period, in an attempt to summon commands that had previously been interpreted as emanating from "gods." His hypothesis is bolstered by a period of time in this transition where children who had contact with the "gods" were prized by their community, but as their education progressed they lost their abilities.
The case for bicameralism
Jaynes builds a case for this theory by citing evidence from many diverse sources including historical literature. For example, he asserts that, in The Iliad and sections of the Old Testament in The Bible that no mention is made of any kind of cognitive processes such as introspection and that there is no apparent indication that the writers were self-aware. He asserts that some later books of the Old Testament (such as Ecclesiastes) as well as later works such as The Odyssey show indications of a profoundly different kind of mentality which he believes is indicative of consciousness.
Responses
Jaynes's hypothesis found little acceptance among mainstream academics. This was partly due to the perception that Jaynes' was pandering to the general public, and because he did not offer The Origin of Consciousness for peer review.
His proposals generated great controversy when first published, and provided impetus for many other scientists and philosophers to investigate the matters it discussed in detail in order to attempt to refute its arguments.
Other researchers such as Daniel Dennett, consider bicameralism to be quite intriguing but probably incorrect.
Some authorities, however, consider Jaynes's hypothesis worthy and offered conditional support, arguing the notion deserves further study. Some scholars suggest that the theory describes a real event, but that Jaynes provides the wrong date. One theory about pre-historic cave paintings, for example, is that they offer us a window into a time when consciousness was emerging, perhaps through the breakdown of bicameralism.[citation needed]
Further evidence contradicting Jaynes's proposed date is the Gilgamesh Epic: although Gilgamesh was recorded centuries before the Old Testament, and its setting is contemporaneous or earlier than the Old Testament stories, the Gilgamesh story describes suprisingly modern psychology.[citation needed]
Influence
It has also been great fodder for cyberpunk authors; Neal Stephenson's first several books (The Big U, Zodiac, Snow Crash, The Diamond Age) involve the bicameral mind theory, as does Bruce Sterling's Distraction. The book has been highly influential in a neo-objectivist philosophy called Neo-Tech.
Similar ideas
Friedrich Nietzsche's explanations of human ethics and moral consciousness in Beyond Good and Evil and On the Genealogy of Morals posit a similar developmental path. The first humans followed a "noble" ethic, but their consciousness was shallow and limited at best. When the Judeo-Christian tradition turned the will in on itself, as Nietzsche claims, the human soul became complex and intelligent, although it lost the "noble" ethic, which was replaced by an ethic of "ressentiment."
Although their ideas are similar, there is no evidence that Jaynes was influenced by Nietzsche.
Dr. David R. Hawkins, a psychiatrist and mystic, has developed a sophisticated model for how consciousness has developed—and continues to develop—over time. Hawkins used the controversial and not widely accepted method of applied kinesiology to measure and describe the evolution of consciousness both in the individual and collectively amongst a group of people. Out of this, as first reported in his book Power vs. Force (1995), a map of consciousness was developed.
Miscellaneous
The Origin of Consciousness was financially successful, and has been reprinted several times. The book was originally published in 1976 (ISBN 0395207290) and was nominated for the National Book Award in 1978. It has since been reissued (ISBN 0618057072). A new edition, with an afterword that addressed some criticisms and restated the main themes, was published in the US in 1990. This version was published in the UK by Penguin Books in 1993 (ISBN 0140174915).
Bicameralism is used in the plots of Neal Stephenson's novels The Big U, Zodiac and Snow Crash, and Bruce Sterling's novel Distraction.
Jaynes' theory is referenced, at least in passing in the cyberpunk comic Transmetropolitan.
References
- ^ http://www.snowcrest.net/soza/easyjayn.htm.
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External links
- Julian Jaynes Society web page for The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
- Consciousness: The End of False Authority by Dr. Frank R. Wallace This article about Jaynes' theory won the first place National Writer's Club Award as best nonfiction article of 1980.