lew (02/14/83)
Anybody read "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian Jaynes? It is an exposition of a rather wild-eyed theory of the nature and origin of consciousness - except that it makes a hell of a lot of sense. It didn't carry me all the way, but I really enjoyed the first part of the book, in which the author sets out to define first what consciousness is NOT. This is one of the few books I've read on this topic which didn't make me feel like throwing it down in disgust. I usually have this reaction because most authors inevitably seem to overlook something I regard as basic, or make some boneheaded (to me) assertion. I was quite in sympathy with Jaynes' basic outlook, though. That probably means I'm as loony as he is. Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew
simon (02/16/83)
I've read Jaynes' book and was also most impressed by his definition of consciousness. Its been some time, but as far as I remember he defined consciousness as the ability to construct a mental hypothetical world in which the concept corresponding to the 'I' could be manipulated. The point I tend to be most skeptical of is that consciousness is a relatively recent addition (ie within the last few thousand years) and so must have developed some time after language. (He even argues that the early Greeks, such as Homer, were not conscious by his definition.)