Re: Julian Jaynes
Gerold Firl (geroldf@sdd.hp.com)
2 Oct 1996 19:59:50 GMT
In article <324F03C3.6C9D@ahrweiler.netsurf.de>, Peter G Mercer <Peter.Mercer@ahrweiler.netsurf.de> writes:
|> I first read it when it came out (a BoMC selection of all things) and
|> found it to be the most undeservedly neglected book I had ever come
|> across.
I also enjoyed it, and have wondered about his hypothesis since then.
It's a difficult one to test, unfortunately, so it's hard to develop a
research program around it. Here are a couple of thoughts that come to
mind:
Find remote peoples who have had little or no exposure to the modern
world - not really possible today, but perhaps a close enough
approximation could be found - and see if any similarites to the
jaynsian bicameral mind can be found. Look in particular at trance
states, where a shaman or other spiritual practicioner will allow
themselves to be possessed by a spirit or god.
One question that I've wondered about is whether the breakdown of the
bicameral mind came about as a result of biology or culture; is it
triggered by some threshold of complexity in our learning environment,
or are there unicameral gene complexes which spread through human
populations starting a few millenia back?
|> I have read of experiments performed in US universities which indicate
|> that our unconscious brain has the ability to solve complex problems way
|> beyond our conscious abilities.
Looking again at the trance state, are traditional healers who enter
trance better able to diagnose the problems of their patients?
--
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=---- Gerold Firl @ ..hplabs!hp-sdd!geroldf
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