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"A whole kingdom where each of us reigns reclusively alone, questioning what we will, commanding what we can. A hidden hermitage where we may study out the troubled book of what we have done and yet may do. An introcosm that is more myself than anything I can find in a mirror. This consciousness that is myself of selves, that is everything, and yet is nothing at all – what is it?
And where did it come from?
And why?”
- Julian Jaynes
"The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" is a book by Julian Jaynes all about consciousness and how it came to be. He examines the two-sided nature of the brain and how that works into his theory of consciousness. He believes consciousness is a learned skill rather than an innate one. Check the links below for more information.
"Jaynes asserts that consciousness did not arise far back in human evolution but is a learned process based on metaphorical language. Prior to the development of consciousness, Jaynes argues humans operated under a previous mentality he called the bicameral (‘two-chambered’) mind." ("Overview of Julian Jaynes's...)
There are a couple reasons I am referencing this book in my interactive experience. The first one is that when I was a kid, my mom explained this book to me and we referenced it for a couple family accounts. It stuck with me. Later, reading about it, I got a better understanding of what the theory was about. Through this project, I am analyzing the different roles and aspects of human beings. To be able to see your various roles, you have to have consciousness as described by Julian Jaynes. This project at the very beginning was inspired by a Grimm's fairytale (About) where the characters at first proceed with their roles for the sake of survival. One character learns that he may not have treated fairly by the others and wishes to switch roles.
This internalization of roles versus the realization and contemplation of roles is comparable to the turning point in which humans developed consciousness. In this interactive journey, I hope everyone will stop to think about their many roles and find what compels them to these roles and who has developed the standards by which those roles are assigned.
Jaynes, Julian. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Accessed May 3, 2020.
https://www.julianjaynes.org/resources/books/ooc/en/.
“Overview of Julian Jaynes's Theory of Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind.” Julian Jaynes Society, 2020.
https://www.julianjaynes.org/about/about-jaynes-theory/overview/.
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