The "bicameral mind" 30 years on: a critical reappraisal of Julian Jaynes' hypothesis
Cavanna, A.E.; Trimble, M.; Cinti, F.; Monaco, F.; Jaynes, J.
Functional Neurology 22(1): 11-15
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-5264 PMID: 17509238 Document Number: 610686
In 1976 Julian Jaynes published his controversial book The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, introducing the hypothesis of a two-chambered brain-mind model that preceded the evolutionary development of the conscious mind. Jaynes' speculative model gave rise to a huge debate, which has reverberated throughout the current neuroscientific and neurophilosophical literature. Has the bicameral mind stood the test of time? To answer this question, the present paper adopts a multidisciplinary perspective and, after briefly summarizing Jaynes' hypothesis, addresses two main critical issues: the neurological basis of the bicameral model and the philological accuracy of Jaynes' arguments. Finally, the concept of a non-unitary Self is presented as one of the most relevant contemporary legacies of the bicameral mind.