muflax65ngodyewp.onion/drafts/jaynes.mkd

Notes on Origin

Twice-born (born in the land of the gods and of man). 

God is not "out there", but "in here".

The worst is the silence. At first, you struggle to even make the gods talk,
but then you despair every time they are silent.

Consciousness is the Gift. The Continuum, the voices, are a loose
conglamerate, a fractal reign of volition. It is consciousness that they
lack; *that* is the True Self.

The shrine is inside my head. The world is my worship.
    What's that supposed to mean? Sure, it sounds nice, but what?!

Bicameral mind as explanation for failure of Industrial Revolution? -> It's
consciousness that gives people the drive to work consistently.
    A third change happened around 1750? Maybe a threshold?

We crawled our way out of the depths of Samsara, only to, for the first
time, see. Consciousness is the moment of *knowing* for the first time the
world. We achieve a unity of volition and sight. Knowledge and action are
united. The bicameral mind breaks down; *we are twice-born*.

(207) There is no middle ground in Bicameral minds. How does this relate to
the Buddha's dialogues with Maia?

(225) Headaches after the breakdown. This is very common among mystics,
including the Buddha. Suspicion: parts (all?) of enlightenment is the
attainment / purification of the subjective, non-judging, non-talking mind.
Contrast to the Dark Night. 
    -> Amygdala

Lines of Evidence

1. Consciousness is based on language.

2. The bicameral mind.
    The mentality before consciousness was based on verbal and visual
    hallucinations. 

    The Middle Way
    --------------
        BM predicts that early humans followed orders unquestioningly.
        Therefore, the idea of pleading and compromise is non-existent. 

        History of Compromise?
            Compare historical solutions.

    Deception
    ---------
        Without the analog I, there is (barely) any deception. If you can't
        simulate others, you can't fool them easily.

        -> no thieves in Cuzco and no doors (source?)

    Religion
    --------
        BM predicts that the older the religion, the more it should be based
        on authority, with newer ones instead introducing the concept of the
        self and individual religiousity.
        Furthermore, the older and more authoritarian religions should break
        harder when confronted with logic. They should have no way to deal
        with introspection (as it didn't exist!).

3. The development of consciousness started around 1000 BCE.

    To test this, two things have be checked:
        1. There exists no evidence for subjective consciousness before 1000
           BCE.
            -> There could be individuals, though.
        2. There exists evidence for a transition in mentality around 1000
           BCE in the Middle East, spreading from there.

    
    Assyrian Collapse
    -----------------


4. The double brain.
    The two hemispheres are, to some degree, autonomous and each have their
    own volition and language processing. This is (mostly) united in the
    modern brain, but was bicameral in earlier times.
    
    Modern Schizophrenia research
    -----------------------------

Sources

Old Testament
-------------
    -> chronological writing order

    Zechariah 13

    Psalm 42

New Testament
-------------
    Reading of "Divine Kingdom" as psychological state to be in, not
    physical place to reach. State of obediance. Jesus is (among others)
    designing teachings for now conscious men.

Iliad
-----

Gilgamesh
---------

Egyptian Texts
--------------
    which sources?

    Ka
    --

    Ba
    --

    True-of-voice
    -------------

Guide of the Perplexed
----------------------

George Steine, Massey Lectures
------------------------------

Phrynicus, Fall of Miletus
--------------------------

Greeks and the Irration
-----------------------

To figure out

Development of concept of Chance and Probability.

Consilience
    -> Bauer Symposium, Canadian Psychology, 1986, 27

The User Illusion

Edelman, Tononi, A Universe of Consciousness

http://www.scribd.com/doc/23479744/Williams-What-is-It-Like-to-Be-Unconscious-Draft-Version