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Was Won the West How Part 1 How the West Was Won Part1 by Robert Emanuel he development of the Human Mind has taken many and varied forms over the 30 or so centuries that we have been able to chronicle it; in all the time that we have been able to “think for ourselves” we have always asked the question “Where did we come from?” I pose a different question - “Where did our consciousness come from, AND WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?” for without consciousness we are nothing and cannot fulfil any meaning- ful purpose in this or any other life.* I will also, for the time being, ignore any questions about the meaning of life, which Douglas L. Adams has sort of answered in his many and varied writ- ings, but wish to concentrate on the Origin, Breakdown, Integration and Development of the Bicameral Mind... That is, OURS (bicameral here means two chambers ). As with all myths, The Mythology of the Western World, being based on one of the most wonderful of sagas - The Old Testament (which need be taken with the same intuitive sight as Homer’s Il- eventually amalgamated into nations. obscure Jeynes’ central thesis - that the The history of that amalgamation was | breakdown of ‘savagery’ and develop- codified and presented to the various ment of ‘civilisation’ is associated with families, tribes and nations as sacro- the two hemispheres of our brain, the sanct, somewhat in the same fashion as Bicameral Mind, linking with each other Australia’s Latter Day Tories present - and we can trace the story of that link their Constitution. Those who ruled, in the development of the Hebrew tribes. wrote, Jeynes cites evidence that they were As to their veracity, one must treat it “brigands”, banding together under a with that same innate scepticism we | common oppression. This has led me to reserve for those who wouldrule us now. many delightful lines of thought. ; i Velikovsky has demonstrated that there Religion grew out of a necessity for liad, well proven in aspects of Delight | is much more room for study both inthe | a strong centralised government to and Accuracy) - imagines itself a reli- | Chronology and Cosmology of the | combat those of other social units of the gion upon the Grecian Line and denies Ancient World. . time who were all out to get each other - itself any interpretation beyond the lit- To trace the development of the ori- | not the first and certainly not the last to eral and the Ethic to which itsubscribes. | in of Consciousness in the develop- | realise that in unity there is strength. By Well, Lintend to introduce formany | tment of the human being we must sub- | externalising the source of their power and reiterate for some, a more relevant | ject any and all books of antiquity to | and wisdom and introducing a monothe- and accurate interpretation of The Olde | ‘searching analyses and from these syn- | istic religion, the Hebrew tribes central- Testament , reading it for what itis-@ | thesise a stimulating theory to enable a | ised all decision making and left us their Small History of a Part of Wester Civ- | more complete and informed debate to | history and beliefs which have become ilisation. That Small History and its at- | ensue. 1 will start my discussion with | part of all Western cultures. Their cen- tendant commentaries by learned (but | Julian Jeynes’“OriginofConsciousness | tralised structure and use of the High orthodox to the times in which they | 1p The Breakdown Of The Bicameral | Priest to interpret the centralised will of lived) scholars has assumed a mystic Mind”, a more recent work which has their collective consciousness has, and authoritarian role that is irrelevant | teen unavailable almost since publica- | through later Christian and Muslim and meaningless unless we take it in the ‘ tion. interpretations, left a legacy of abrogat- context of the times. — Now this book can, and has, been | ing responsibility for our own individual Once upon a time, ina land se! vEEY construed as a vicious piece of anti- decision making. far from the Red Sea, there lived as- | somitism and I can damn-well see why Part of the ‘New Age’ is restoration sorted and varied individuals, who, | _ if] was as proud of of my cultural and | of the ability to be individually respon- through the processes of natural selec- | emotional heritage as are Jewish folk | sible and Gaia-aware. Think about it, or tion, congregated together as loose | then I'd be pretty stroppy at what he | rather, intuitit% Continued next issue... family | units and hence tribes. After wrote. *I will ignore any and all references to Reincama- much internecine warfare those tribes Unfortunately, this has tended to tion, which this column takes as sine non qua NEXUS New Times Seven - Summer 1989 he development of the Human Mind has taken many and varied forms over the 30 or so centuries that we have been able to chronicle it; in all the time that we have been able to “think for ourselves” we have always asked the question “Where did we come from?” I pose a different question - “Where did our consciousness come from, AND WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?” for without consciousness we are nothing and cannot fulfil any meaning- ful purpose in this or any other life.* I will also, for the time being, ignore any questions about the meaning of life, which Douglas L. Adams has sort of answered in his many and varied writ- ings, but wish to concentrate on the Origin, Breakdown, Integration and Development of the Bicameral Mind... That is, OURS (bicameral here means two chambers ). As with all myths, The Mythology of the Western World, being based on one of the most wonderful of sagas - The Old Testament (which need be taken with the same intuitive sight as Homer’s Il- eventually amalgamated into nations. obscure Jeynes’ central thesis - that the The history of that amalgamation was | breakdown of ‘savagery’ and develop- codified and presented to the various ment of ‘civilisation’ is associated with families, tribes and nations as sacro- the two hemispheres of our brain, the sanct, somewhat in the same fashion as Bicameral Mind, linking with each other Australia’s Latter Day Tories present - and we can trace the story of that link their Constitution. Those who ruled, in the development of the Hebrew tribes. wrote, Jeynes cites evidence that they were As to their veracity, one must treat it “brigands”, banding together under a with that same innate scepticism we common oppression. This has led me to reserve for those who wouldrule us now. many delightful lines of thought. ; i Velikovsky has demonstrated that there Religion grew out of a necessity for liad, well proven in aspects of Delight | is much more room for study both inthe | a strong centralised government to and Accuracy) - imagines itself a reli- | Chronology and Cosmology of the | combat those of other social units of the gion upon the Grecian Line and denies Ancient World. . time who were all out to get each other - itself any interpretation beyond the lit- To trace the development of the ori- | not the first and certainly not the last to eral and the Ethic to which itsubscribes. | in of Consciousness in the develop- | realise that in unity there is strength. By Well, Lintend to introduce formany | tment of the human being we must sub- | externalising the source of their power and reiterate for some, a more relevant | ject any and all books of antiquity to | and wisdom and introducing a monothe- and accurate interpretation of The Olde | ‘searching analyses and from these syn- | istic religion, the Hebrew tribes central- Testament , reading it for what itis-@ | thesise a stimulating theory to enable a | ised all decision making and left us their Small History of a Part of Wester Civ- | more complete and informed debate to | history and beliefs which have become ilisation. That Small History and its at- | ensue. 1 will start my discussion with | part of all Western cultures. Their cen- tendant commentaries by learned (but | Julian Jeynes’“OriginofConsciousness | tralised structure and use of the High orthodox to the times in which they | 1p The Breakdown Of The Bicameral | Priest to interpret the centralised will of lived) scholars has assumed a mystic | Ming”, a more recent work which has | their collective consciousness has, and! authoritarian role that is irrelevant been unavailable almost since publica- through later Christian and Muslim and meaningless unless we take it in the ‘ tion. interpretations, left a legacy of abrogat- context of the times. — Now this book can, and has, been | ing responsibility for our own individual Once upon a time, ina land se! vEEY construed as a vicious piece of anti- decision making. far from the Red Sea, there lived as- | somitism and I can damn-well see why Part of the ‘New Age’ is restoration sorted and varied individuals, who, | _ if] was as proud of of my cultural and | of the ability to be individually respon- through the processes of natural selec- | emotional heritage as are Jewish folk | sible and Gaia-aware. Think about it, or tion, congregated together as loose | then I'd be pretty stroppy at what he | rather, intuitit Continued next issue... family | units and hence tribes. After wrote. * will ignore any and all references to Reincama- much internecine warfare those tribes Unfortunately, this has tended to tion, which this column takes as sine non qua Dae by Robert Emanuel NEXUS New Times Seven - Summer 1989 33