JULIAN JAYNES MUSINGS
tbev@parcplace.com
Mon, 23 Jan 95 14:02:17 PDT
> Braxton wrote:
>
> > Would Jaynes be the one who studied the Russian peasants? If not, then
> > there might be other evidence for a lower state of consciousness from a
> > different source. Someone studied Russian peasants and found that their
> > state of consciousness was dissimilar to that of the educated. It was on a
> > more primitive level, in a sense child-like. I don't remember the source
> > for this anymore but I have heard similar ideas relating to the
> > consciousness of children and the dream-like work they seem to live it.
> > One author- I think the book was "The Mind, Brain and Behavior" (I'll try
> > to find it) likened it to a drugged haze or sort of semi-conscious.
>
> Judy Stein Replied:
> Wow. What was the definition used of "state of consciousness"?
ME: I believe you have Julian Jaynes confused with someone else. Still,
it would be interesting to learn how the observations you described
were made and by whom.
I recall an experiment (performed, I think, in the 1950's) that
demonstrated an interesting phenomenon. Researchers observed a
flock of crows that hung out at the bottom of a forest clearing.
They proceeded to test the crows with the following scenarios:
a) They had one researcher walk through the clearing.
The crows took to the trees and didn't return to
the ground until the single researcher left the
way he came.
b) They then sent TWO researchers through the clearing
with the same results, i.e. the crows stayed in the trees
until TWO people left.
c) Then they sent THREE researchers through but had TWO leave
after a short wait out of sight of the crows. The
crows were not fooled and remained in the trees until
the 3rd researcher also left.
d) When they sent FOUR researchers through and had THREE
researchers leave, the crows returned to the ground.
The point being that if crows had an arithmetic, it would go
one, two, three, MANY!
Someone mentioned recently that a similar phenomenon had been
observed with Aborigines. If this kind of phenomenon has been
observed in the language/behavior of primitive peoples, such
people and their culture might be our last "test beds" for
whatever indigenous bicamerality might remain in a substantial
population.
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