The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

1. Consciousness is a Learned, Metaphor-Based Operation, Not a Thing

Subjective conscious mind is an analog of what is called the real world.

Consciousness as an operation. Consciousness isn't a physical entity or a container of thoughts; it's a process, a way of operating. It's not a place where things happen, but rather the happening itself. It's like a computer program, not the computer itself. It's a dynamic process, not a static object.

Metaphorical construction. Our conscious experience is built using metaphors, drawing from our understanding of the physical world. We use terms like "seeing" a solution or "grasping" an idea, which are all metaphors of physical actions. These metaphors create a mental space where we can manipulate concepts and ideas as if they were tangible objects.

• Mind-space is a metaphor of real space
• Mental acts are analogs of bodily acts
• Abstract concepts are generated by concrete metaphors

Analogical nature. Consciousness is an analog of the real world, not a direct copy. It's like a map, which is a representation of the territory, not the territory itself. It allows us to navigate and understand the world by creating a model of it in our minds.

2. The Bicameral Mind: A Pre-Conscious State of Divine Dictation

The gods take the place of consciousness.

Bicameral mentality. Before the development of consciousness, humans operated with a "bicameral mind," where one part of the brain (the "god" side) dictated actions to the other part (the "man" side). This was not a conscious process, but rather a system of auditory hallucinations that guided behavior.

• No introspection, no self-awareness
• No concept of will or free will
• Actions initiated by "gods"

Gods as voices. The "gods" of the bicameral mind were not external entities, but rather internal voices that were experienced as real and authoritative. These voices were often associated with familiar figures or authority figures, and they provided guidance and direction in novel situations.

• Hallucinations, not metaphors
• Voices heard as real as external sounds
• Voices as amalgams of parental or admonitory images

Absence of subjectivity. In the bicameral mind, there was no sense of a subjective "I" or an internal space for reflection. Actions were not the result of conscious decisions, but rather the direct response to the voices of the gods.

3. The Iliad: A Window into a World Without Subjectivity

There is in general no consciousness in the Iliad.

Absence of mental language. The Iliad, a foundational text of Western literature, provides a glimpse into a world where consciousness, as we understand it, did not exist. The language of the Iliad lacks words for mental acts, introspection, or subjective experience.

• Psyche means life-substance, not soul
• Thumos means motion or agitation, not emotion
• Noos means perception or recognition, not mind

Gods as motivators. In the Iliad, the gods are not mere poetic devices, but rather the primary motivators of human action. They are the source of decisions, plans, and initiatives, taking the place of conscious thought and volition.

• Gods initiate action, not men
• Gods speak to heroes, not their own thoughts
• Heroes obey gods, not their own will

A world of automatons. The characters of the Iliad are not conscious individuals, but rather automatons who are guided by the voices of the gods. They are noble, but they lack the subjective experience and self-awareness that we take for granted.

4. The Double Brain: A Neurological Model for Bicamerality

The language of men was involved with only one hemisphere in order to leave the other free for the language of gods.

Hemispheric specialization. The theory proposes that the bicameral mind was a result of a specific organization of the brain, with the left hemisphere responsible for human language and the right hemisphere for the language of the gods.

• Left hemisphere: speech, logic, analysis
• Right hemisphere: music, spatial awareness, synthesis, and the "voices"

Anterior commissures. The anterior commissures, a small band of fibers connecting the temporal lobes, are hypothesized to be the pathway through which the voices of the gods were transmitted from the right hemisphere to the left.

• Right temporal lobe: organization of admonitory experience
• Left temporal lobe: reception of auditory hallucinations

Vestigial functions. The right hemisphere, which is often considered "non-dominant," may retain vestigial functions related to the bicameral mind, such as the ability to understand language and generate auditory hallucinations.

• Right hemisphere stimulation: hazy voices, music, and other sensations
• Right hemisphere understanding of language

Split-brain studies. Studies of commissurotomy patients, whose hemispheres have been surgically separated, reveal that each hemisphere can function independently, with the right hemisphere often exhibiting behaviors that are consistent with the bicameral model.

5. Civilization's Origin: Social Control and the Rise of Gods

The bicameral mind is a form of social control and it is that form of social control which allowed mankind to move from small hunter-gatherer groups to large agricultural communities.

Social control. The bicameral mind evolved as a means of social control, allowing humans to move from small, hunter-gatherer groups to larger, more complex agricultural communities. The voices of the gods provided a system of authority and guidance that enabled large populations to cooperate and organize themselves.

• Limited group size in primates
• Need for communication for social structure
• Gods as a means of social control

Language and gods. The development of language was a crucial step in the evolution of the bicameral mind. As language became more complex, it allowed for the creation of abstract concepts and the development of a system of divine authority.

• Intentional calls, modifiers, commands, nouns
• Names as a social phenomenon
• Hallucinations as a side effect of language

Agriculture and theocracy. The advent of agriculture created the need for a more complex system of social control, which was provided by the bicameral mind and its gods. The first cities were often centered around temples and religious structures, reflecting the importance of divine authority in early civilizations.

• Eynan as an example
• Dead kings as gods
• Temples as god-houses

6. The Breakdown: Chaos, Migration, and the Loss of Divine Voices

The gods take the place of consciousness.

Instability of bicameral kingdoms. Bicameral kingdoms were inherently unstable due to their reliance on hallucinated voices for social control. The lack of individual agency and the potential for conflicting divine commands made them vulnerable to collapse.

• Rigid hierarchies
• Lack of individual volition
• Dependence on divine voices

Mass migrations and invasions. The second millennium B.C. was a period of great upheaval, marked by mass migrations, invasions, and natural disasters. These events disrupted the social order and weakened the authority of the gods, leading to the breakdown of the bicameral mind.

• Thera eruption
• Dorian invasions
• Assyrian expansion

The silence of the gods. As the bicameral mind began to break down, the voices of the gods became less clear and less frequent. This led to a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, as humans were forced to rely on their own judgment and decision-making abilities.

• Loss of divine guidance
• Increased stress and anxiety
• Search for new forms of authority

7. The Quest for Authorization: Vestiges of Bicamerality in the Modern World

The immediate question therefore is, does consciousness exist at all?

Religious heritage. Modern religions, with their emphasis on faith, ritual, and divine authority, are a direct legacy of the bicameral mind. They represent a continuing search for the lost certainty and guidance that was once provided by the voices of the gods.

• Churches as houses of gods
• Oaths to deities
• Rituals and sacraments

Secular substitutes. In the absence of divine authority, humans have sought other forms of authorization, including science, philosophy, and political ideologies. These systems often take on a quasi-religious character, with their own sets of beliefs, rituals, and leaders.

• Scientism
• Political ideologies
• Philosophical systems

Oracles and possession. Oracles, with their reliance on trance states and divine pronouncements, represent a direct continuation of the bicameral mode of decision-making. Possession, with its loss of consciousness and the takeover of the individual by an external force, is another vestige of this earlier mentality.

• Delphi and other oracles
• Sibyls
• Umbanda possession
• Glossolalia

A search for certainty. The quest for authorization is a fundamental human drive, rooted in our need for meaning, purpose, and guidance. It is a response to the uncertainty and anxiety that arose with the breakdown of the bicameral mind.

8. From Affect to Emotion: The Birth of Subjective Experience

Subjective conscious mind is an analog of what is called the real world.

Preconscious hypostases. As the bicameral mind broke down, the internal sensations associated with stress and decision-making became more prominent. These sensations, such as the pounding heart, the racing breath, and the churning stomach, were given names and became the basis for the development of subjective emotions.

• Thumos: internal sensations of activity
• Phrenes: internal sensations of breathing
• Kradie: internal sensations of the heart
• Etor: internal sensations of the gut

From affect to emotion. The basic biological affects of fear, shame, and mating were transformed into complex emotions through the addition of conscious awareness and the spatialization of time.

• Fear becomes anxiety
• Shame becomes guilt
• Mating becomes sex

The analog 'I'. The development of the analog 'I' allowed humans to reflect on their own emotions and experiences, creating a sense of self that was separate from the external world. This was a crucial step in the development of subjective consciousness.

Narratization. The ability to narratize, to create stories about our lives and experiences, allowed us to make sense of our emotions and to integrate them into a coherent sense of self.

9. The Auguries of Science: A Search for Lost Certainty

The search for the relationship with the lost otherness of divine directives would not allow it to lapse.

Science as a quest for authorization. The scientific method, with its emphasis on objectivity, reason, and empirical evidence, can be seen as a modern attempt to find a new source of authority in the absence of divine voices.

• Search for universal laws
• Emphasis on reason and logic
• Rejection of subjective experience

The influence of religion. The early scientists were often motivated by a desire to understand God's creation, and their work was often seen as a form of religious devotion.

• Newton's laws of gravitation
• Locke's empiricism
• Ray's natural history

The secularization of science. Over time, science has become increasingly secular, with a focus on material explanations and a rejection of metaphysical concepts. However, the underlying drive for certainty and understanding remains.

• Materialism
• Evolution
• Rejection of vital forces

Scientism. The search for certainty has led to the development of scientisms, which are systems of belief that are based on scientific principles but often take on a quasi-religious character.

• Marxism
• Psychoanalysis
• Behaviorism

10. The Legacy of the Bicameral Mind: A New Understanding of Human Nature

We have arrived at a very interesting point in our discussion, and one that is completely contradictory to all of the alternative solutions to the problem of the origin of consciousness which we discussed in the introductory chapter.

A new perspective on human history. The theory of the bicameral mind provides a new framework for understanding human history, suggesting that our current mode of consciousness is a relatively recent development.

• Civilizations as a product of bicamerality
• Religion as a vestige of the bicameral mind
• The search for authorization as a response to the loss of divine voices

A new understanding of mental illness. The theory also offers a new perspective on mental illness, suggesting that schizophrenia may be a partial relapse to the bicameral mind.

• Hallucinations as a vestige of bicameral voices
• Loss of the analog 'I'
• Disorientation in time and space

The ongoing transition. We are still in the midst of the transition from the bicameral mind to subjective consciousness, and our culture is still shaped by the vestiges of this earlier mentality.

• The search for meaning and purpose
• The struggle for self-control
• The yearning for certainty

A call for further research. The theory of the bicameral mind is not a final answer, but rather a starting point for further research and exploration. It challenges us to rethink our assumptions about human nature and to consider the possibility that our minds are not as fixed and immutable as we might believe.

Last updated: April 12, 2025