Consciousness and the Voices of the Mind - The 92nd Street Y, New York
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92NY Humanities Audio Collection

The Human Mind

Consciousness and the Voices of the Mind

Mar 23, 1988


Julian Jaynes, psychologist, author, and professor of psychology at Princeton University, discusses the evolution of the mind and the nature of consciousness. This lecture is part of a series examining the human mind. Jaynes published works include The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976) and Historical Conceptions of Psychology (1973). In this lecture, he defines what consciousness is by first defining what it is not: It is not a copy of experiences, and it is not necessary for all types of thinking. Jaynes shares observations from his research of the location of the conscious, explaining that it is not located in brain, but rather, exists as more of a “functional space,” and its presence is not required to speak, learn, or understand. He approaches the concept of hearing a “voice in the head” as a form of auditory hallucination that connects with consciousness. He uses the example of hearing God to illustrate his point, reading excerpts from the Bible to explain the relationship between the body and the mind. The lecture is followed with audience questions.

The Preservation of and Increased Access to the 92nd Street Y Humanities Audio Archives is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

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