In 1976 an obscure psychologist from Princeton University published a book titled, “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.” It was a sensation, not in small part because Jaynes postulated that before modern consciousness occurred, the voices humans heard in their head were considered those of the gods.
He pinpointed the date of this shift to around 1200 B.C. After this date, humans became self-aware, yet the Delphic Oracle remained relevant because she continued to flawlessly channel Apollo.
In this episode Garner reads from Jaynes’ famous book, focusing on the section about prophets and oracles.
If you love this podcast, you'll also enjoy Garner's audible novel about the gods, Homo Divinitas, now available on Amazon.com and Audible.com. And find us on Youtube as well!
Tweet me comments at @Garner_images, or email any episode suggestions to patrickgarner@me.com
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