[ClearCase_guy]

It continues to be a very controversial theory, but the thrust of it was that the two hemispheres of our brain were not well synchronized -- we had a bicameral brain. There was no real awareness, introspection, or consciousness. People did things much like animals do things -- and if a difficult or unexpected event suddenly occurred, part of our brain would "talk" to the other part of the brain and "give advice".

In Homer, this would be Athena telling Odysseus what he should do, or Aphrodite telling Paris to run away. It's the voice of a god that suddenly intervenes in human affairs.

Jaynes further says that at the time of the Bronze Age collapse (roughly 3000 years ago), the brain began to be more well-ordered and "the voices" stopped (for most of us). At that point, humans became aware that they were aware, they understood that they could think about thinking, and you could talk to yourself in a deliberative and constructive manner. The birth of consciousness.

Very controversial book, but loaded with interesting ideas.

[Cicero]

It’s also fairly common idea among literary historians that individual self-consciousness or subjectivity is a fairly late development. I don’t agree, but since I’m heading off for bed, I can’t explain why at the moment. :-)