The Brain-Mind Relation, Religious Evolution, and Forms of Consciousness: An Exploratory Statement
The major thesis of this paper is that Julian Jaynes' theory of the evolutionary transition from a bicameral mind to consciousness corresponds roughly to Robert Bellah's “historic” stage of religious evolution. This synthesis provides a perspective for relating the physiological level of b...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
1988
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| In: |
Sociological analysis
Year: 1988, Volume: 49, Issue: 1, Pages: 52-65 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The major thesis of this paper is that Julian Jaynes' theory of the evolutionary transition from a bicameral mind to consciousness corresponds roughly to Robert Bellah's “historic” stage of religious evolution. This synthesis provides a perspective for relating the physiological level of brain organization, the subjective level of religious experience and consciousness, and large-scale patterns of social organization and change. Jaynes' model of language and brain processes is compared briefly with our contemporary understanding (derived from Mead and others) of the internal conversations that are part of the subjective experience. As an alternative to evolutionism, it is suggested that both Jaynes' and Bellah's theories can be applied to alternative forms of mentality that may exist in any historical stage with varying degrees of acceptance. A major distinction among different people in this regard is their need for external authority and their self-autonomy, especially in coping with stress. |
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| ISSN: | 2325-7873 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3711103 |