The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

What is human consciousness, where did it come from, and how does it determine who we are and how we live in the world? At the heart of this book is the theory that human consciousness did not develop over time--that, in fact, ancient peoples from mesopotamia to Peru did not "think" as we do and therefore were not conscious. Drawing on laboratory studies of the brain and clos examination of archaeological evidence, the author concludes that consciousness is not a product of evolution but of catastrophic events in our own history, events that occurred as recently as three thousand years ago.

• | Author: Julian Jaynes
• | Publisher: Mariner Books
• | Publication Date: August 15, 2000
• | Number of Pages: 512 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0618057072
• | ISBN-13: 9780618057078