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_J__ulian_ _J__aynes_

It doesn't matter whether or not the scientific community
accepted the ideas in "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of
the Bicameral Mind." Constructing new dogma is not the goal of a good
scientific treatise. Presenting new models and theories about our
world is. Presenting supporting rationale and evidence is even better.

[1][jaynes.jpg] 
_Jaynes_

Jaynes turned archaeological sociology on its head when he
proposed his stunning new explanation for the rise and fall of ancient
cultures. Based on exhaustive research in multiple disciplines,
Jaynes' concept was that ancient cultures were centered around
religious practice that included actually hearing the voices of their
gods, which Jaynes asserts originated in their own brains. The premise
was grounded in bedrock brain research, but it startled many readers.
"The Origin of Consciousness ..." is a far-ranging journey
through human history. Jaynes is a patient old guide whose careful,
rational voice coaxes the student through every turn of the road. The
search for understanding rolls across centuries, past landmarks both
physical and intangible. Like any good investigator, Jaynes is
obsessed with the trail of evidence. It really takes the entire book
for the theory to become clear, but his cogent monologue grows
increasingly convincing with each page. By the end of this book,
Jaynes' chugging logic has become a diesel locomotive. This must have
been the farthest thing from catechism Jaynes' peers could have
expected in 1976.
Even if the auditory hallucination theory is rejected, Jaynes'
general concept about the growth and collapse of ancient cultures
still holds together. Students of history know chaos is usually closer
than cultures realize, because civilization is based on a complex web
of shared agreements about how we will behave toward each other. In an
ancient society built entirely on religious agreement, a rupture of
faith would be, as Jaynes pointed out, a calamity.

[2][jaynes2.jpg] 
_Jaynes_
There were apt comparisons with Sigmund Freud when this book
came out. However, one major difference between Jaynes and Freud is
that Freud's work had more impact when it was publicized. Why? Science
has changed. Where scientific dogma was once brittle, it now carries
the bureaucratic inertia of thousands of scientists interconnected in
a complex network. Novel ideas are likely to be suffocated under a
mass of entrenched attitudes.* The efforts of an iconoclast are
similar to one lonely person trying to change the course of an
international corporation. Among the less intransigent, however, "The
Origin of Consciousness" stirred excitement. There was considerable
interest in the planned follow-up volume, "The Consequences of
Consciousness." It was promised for 1984.

*As in the case of Dr. Robert O. [3]Becker
________________________________________________________

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Copyright © 1998 by [8]Keith Purtell. All rights reserved.

References

1. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/frmst_credits.htm
2. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/frmst_credits.htm
3. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/frmst_becker.htm
4. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/index.htm
5. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/index_map.htm
6. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/index_ideas.htm
7. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/frmst_wyoung.htm
8. http://www.tiw.net/users/kpurtell/frmst_mail02.htm