Julian Jaynes Society Wiki

Reasons for Misguided Criticisms

Critics and commentators often misinterpret Jayneisan psychology because they fail to carefully read how Jaynes himself defined “consciousness,” and confuse it with perception, thinking, rational thought, general cognition, and the undefined, catchall term “experience.” Moreover, many somehow miss Jaynes's key argument that historic-cultural shifts led to consciousness, not evolutionary, genetic, or major neuroanatomical changes.

Correcting the Critics

Fact Checking Scott Alexander’s Discussion of Julian Jaynes’s Theory on “Slate Star Codex” – Part 1

Fact Checking Scott Alexander’s Discussion of Julian Jaynes’s Theory on “Slate Star Codex” – Part 2

Fact Checking Erik Hoel’s "The World behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science"

"Greek Zombies: On the Alleged Absurdity of Substantially Unconscious Greek Minds." Jan Sleutels, in Marcel Kuijsten (ed.), "Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness: Julian Jaynes’s Bicameral Mind Theory Revisited" (Julian Jaynes Society, 2006)