How Old Is Consciousness?

Julian Jaynes, in Richard M. Caplan (ed.), Exploring the Concept of Mind (University of Iowa Press, 1986).

Abstract: In dealing with the age of consciousness, psychologist Julian Jaynes extends Putnam’s discussion about the age of the mind. When in human evolution did individuals begin to be aware, or conscious, of mental events and develop a sense of themselves? Jaynes believes that such a development happened in the era around 1200 B.C., and he supports his hypothesis with an immense breadth of scholarly information.

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