In The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Jaynes gives his supposition that man, in early times and too in some situations today, was not 'conscious' which is to say, self-conscious. Decisions were made by the alpha of the group or tribe, which others followed without too much question. As communities widened and there came to be less contact with the leader of the group, this way of thinking gradually was lost; people had to make their own decisions. During this transition, people whose brains were not wired to particularly think for themselves beyond basic animal functions (hunt, eat, sleep, frolic, etc.) would occasionally get something in their heads which most people nowadays would recognize to be an "idea." In these simple societies such a thing wasn't common, and it was not immediately recognized to be one's own thought. Thus -- this command that has suddenly entered one's brain must have been a command from God . Readi...
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