"... it's the first time I even heard the name 'Jaynes' - I believe his speculations deserve a lot more attention than he received. Of course anything to do with our distant past can only be called speculative, as we have no way of proving anything, just as much as we have no way of accessing the original meaning, circumstances etc. when our holy books were created, or dictated by g.d to seers, etc. - and this is what has spawned entire industries of researchers, interpreters, all claiming to have found the nugget of truth.
The only thing each of us can do is listen to our inner voice and be observant of all things round us, including our animal companions - if we know someone who has an unusual psyche, not laugh at him or her, but be tolerant, listen to the inner voice these people seem to be hearing. "
Well said.
Another possible explanation for what Jaynes proposes is that he, a modern psychologist has interpreted (his own and) the general increasing decline in genuine, much broader and inclusive consciousness, as a growth in "consciousness.". He proposes written Hebrew history as some sort of indicator !!
In other words, what he proposes as a previous "automatic" awareness of the voices of "gods" (which BTW is never described by those who experience this as automatic) possessed by ancient peoples is in fact closer to "normality" than the current almost complete absence of anything but the material thinking process with it's obvious limitations often touted as "objective" but which is anything but.
Not unlike a color blind teenager insisting that all those who do not see the simplicity and truth of black and white have not developed sufficiently.
All this, despite incontrovertible evidence that all so called "primitive" people were far more conscious of their place in Nature and attuned to the consciousness of all life.
Unfortunately when challenged many were unable to recognize and envisage those who had long since replaced this understanding with personal ego and materialism. Nor find a solution.
This is an indication of their own understandable limitation in aspects of "consciousness".
In general, all ancient cultures were streets ahead in their appreciation, wonder and in some cases knowledge of the working relationship of Humanity to Nature .. and perhaps beyond.
Not to mention that "consciousness" varies more in it's depth, breadth and content in individual people than anything else.
