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Beyond the The Bicameral Brain ‘_ a Most important brain functions are bilateral, ie they are performed in both the right and left sides of the brain. The exception is language; all our speech areas are on the left side. There are three speech areas in the left hemi- sphere and they have different functions and values. Two are concerned chiefly with articulation, and vocabulary and grammar respectively. The third is known as Wernicke’s area and is in- Julian Jaynes, an American psychologist, published his book fine Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mined in 1982. This book may be the most controversial work of the late twentiein century. It challenges acceptsel icleas of human history, culture, Beyond the beyond mp The Bicameral Brain a _ Most important brain functions are bilateral, ie they are performed in both the right and left sides of the brain. The exception is language; all our Julian Jaynes, an American psychologist, qpenthh dices ive on tha Sait alle. Tht published) fis fpook fae Origins of Consciousness are three speech areas in the left hemi- fin the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mine) im 1982. | sphere and they have different functions This book may be the most controversial work @F | and values. Two are concerned chiefly the late twentiein century. It challenges acceptsel icleas of human history, culture, with articulation, and vocabulary and grammar respectively. The third is known as Wernicke’s area and is in- religion, psychology and civilization - past, volved with syntax, meaning and under- present anel fulure. To support his theory Jaymes | standing speech. — draws on archeological, anthropological, But language is probably the most : s f = important of the skills that distinguish neurological and linguistic evidence to the helene setion, 21 hes cevagnens ouirags of those working lin these fields. the basis ofsacial antamiolion éceiuntan: For his trouble he lost his position at Prinesion. ity, both today and during the post-gla- cial millenia of the past. Why is lan- What is consciousness? Normally, apropertyoflanguage,andifconscious- guage not represented in both hemi- we associate it with learning, purposeful ness is the invention of an analog world spheres? The physical, ‘neurological’ behaviour and the evolution of the based on language, then consciousness structure necessary for language exists higher primates. It happens inside in the right side; children with our heads when we are thinking or left side lesions (damage) to making decisions. Jaynes dis- Wemnicke’s area transfer the misses all this and concludes that speech mechanism to the right consciousness is not what we side, thus not becoming speech- gencrally think it is. It is not in- less. volved in learning or performing What is, or was, the function skills. It is not necessary for mak- of the right hemisphere areas ing judgements and has no loca- that correspond to the speech tion except an imaginary one. areas of the left side, is the foun- Consciousness is an opera- dation of Jaynes’ theory. These tion, nota function, the invention areas have “seemingly no easily of an analog world that parallels discernible function”, known the real world in the same way a from cases where due to injury map relates to the area it depicts. or illness, large amounts of tis- Consciousness creates this analog sue have been removed from the world only from objectively ob- right side with “surprisingly servable things and does this by little deficit in mental function”. using metaphors to designate or The brain may have two hemi- describe things for which words spheres, ie bicameral, but one are not available. We ‘sce’ the seems relatively less essential solutions and have ‘viewpoints’; unless the silent ‘speech’ areas minds are ‘broad’, ‘open’, ‘deep’ of the right side had some func- or ‘narrow’; we can ‘hold’ some- tion in the past. thing in our mind or have it at the This function must have ‘back’ or ‘out’ of our minds. been important enough to stop These are all metaphors. must have become part of human right side development as an auxiliary Similarly, we describe the world in evolution after language. Jaynes’ radi- speech area. In humanity’s early history metaphorical terms. For Jaynes con- cal view is that consciousness is of a the right side of the brain was used for sciousness is, in fact, a metaphor-gener- much more recent origin than we like to something even more basic than the ar- ated modelof the world. But metaphor is believe. ticulate speech of language, that pre- 34 NEXUS New Times Eight - Autumn 1989 Bicameral Most important brain functions are bilateral, ie they are performed in both the right and left sides of the brain. The exception is language; all our Julian Jaynes, an American psychologist, epoch Bhai dn all ia st all ee published his book fine Origins of Conselovsness | are three speech areas in the left hemi- fin the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mine) im 1982. | sphere and they have different functions This book may be the most controversial work @F | and values. Two are concerned chiefly the late twentiein century. It challenges acceptsel icleas of human history, culture, with articulation, and vocabulary and grammar respectively. The third is known as Wernicke’s area and is in- religion, psychology ane Civilization = pasi, volved with syntax, meaning and under- present anel fulure. To support his theory Jaymes | standing speech. — draws on archeological, anthropological, But language is probably the most s f = important of the skills that distinguish neurological and linguistic evidence to the helene setion, 21 hes cevagnens ouirags of those working lin these fields. the basis ofsacial antamiolion éceiuntan: For his trouble he lost his position at Prinesion. ity, both today and during the post-gla- cial millenia of the past. Why is lan- What is consciousness? Normally, apropertyoflanguage,andifconscious- guage not represented in both hemi- we associate it with learning, purposeful ness is the invention of an analog world spheres? The physical, ‘neurological’ behaviour and the evolution of the based on language, then consciousness structure necessary for language exists higher primates. It happens inside in the right side; children with our heads when we are thinking or left side lesions (damage) to making decisions. Jaynes dis- Wemnicke’s area transfer the misses all this and concludes that speech mechanism to the right consciousness is not what we side, thus not becoming speech- gencrally think it is. It is not in- less. volved in learning or performing What is, or was, the function skills. It is not necessary for mak- of the right hemisphere areas ing judgements and has no loca- that correspond to the speech tion except an imaginary one. areas of the left side, is the foun- Consciousness is an opera- dation of Jaynes’ theory. These tion, nota function, the invention areas have “seemingly no easily of an analog world that parallels discernible function”, known the real world in the same way a from cases where due to injury map relates to the area it depicts. or illness, large amounts of tis- Consciousness creates this analog sue have been removed from the world only from objectively ob- right side with “surprisingly servable things and does this by little deficit in mental function”. using metaphors to designate or The brain may have two hemi- describe things for which words spheres, ie bicameral, but one are not available. We ‘sce’ the seems relatively less essential solutions and have ‘viewpoints’; unless the silent ‘speech’ areas minds are ‘broad’, ‘open’, ‘deep’ of the right side had some func- or ‘narrow’; we can ‘hold’ some- tion in the past. thing in our mind or have it at the This function must have ‘back’ or ‘out’ of our minds. been important enough to stop These are all metaphors. must have become part of human right side development as an auxiliary Similarly, we describe the world in evolution after language. Jaynes’ radi- speech area. In humanity’s early history metaphorical terms. For Jaynes con- cal view is that consciousness is of a the right side of the brain was used for sciousness is, in fact, a metaphor-gener- much more recent origin than we like to something even more basic than the ar- ated modelof the world. But metaphor is believe. ticulate speech of language, that pre- What is consciousness? Normally, we associate it with learning, purposeful behaviour and the evolution of the higher primates. It happens inside our heads when we are thinking or making decisions. Jaynes dis- misses all this and concludes that consciousness is not what we gencrally think it is. It is not in- volved in learning or performing skills. It is not necessary for mak- ing judgements and has no loca- tion except an imaginary one. Consciousness is an opera- tion, nota function, the invention of an analog world that parallels the real world in the same way a map relates to the area it depicts. Consciousness creates this analog world only from objectively ob- servable things and does this by using metaphors to designate or describe things for which words are not available. We ‘sce’ the solutions and have ‘viewpoints’; minds are ‘broad’, ‘open’, ‘deep’ or ‘narrow’; we can ‘hold’ some- thing in our mind or have it at the ‘back’ or ‘out’ of our minds. These are all metaphors. Similarly, we describe the world in metaphorical terms. For Jaynes con- sciousness is, in fact, a metaphor-gener- ated modelof the world. But metaphor is aproperty of language, and ifconscious- ness is the invention of an analog world based on language, then consciousness must have become part of human evolution after language. Jaynes’ radi- cal view is that consciousness is of a Ger ab more recent origin than we like to feed believe. The Bicameral Brain 34 NEXUS New Times Eight - Autumn 1989