Reading Period: August 18 - Present
1. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (A), by Julian Jaynes
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22478.The_Origin_of_Consciousness_in_the_Breakdown_of_the_Bicameral_Mind
Disingenuous psychobabble. A unfortunately comprehensible work of anti-scientific, non-falsifiable garbage. The core theory is somewhat interesting (consciousness is a product of human language that emerged three thousand years ago). But the rest can be left in the trash. It was interesting to learn that the conquistadors were conscious, but the Incan people were not (and yes, you can estimate what this assumes). What was most frustrating about this book was that everything is fit to a theory, versus the other way around. The key two points of evidence are the Iliad and the Odyssey, and random anecdotal pieces of artwork, in which the conclusion is that humans used to hear godly hallucinations and now hear their own voice. Why exactly? Apparently conflict and interaction with different types of people, and advanced language. This kind of thinking can be applied to anything, given that we have little written history from 3,000+ years ago and consciousness is a mystery. It's a work that is disrespectful to the intellect and frustrating, but if you're interested in having your blood boil might actually be worth the read!
