A fascinating thesis, bravely and at points clumsily argued. I went hunting for this, like many others, after watching Westworld--and I was happy to find this bold little book light and worth the read.

The central point Jaynes argues (although not in these words) is that consciousness is a software program: a way-of-using-a-brain that is neither mandatory nor particularly old. He proposes that the ancients had a different, bicameral software, the vestiges of which are with us. It's a cool theory, worth carrying around in your head for a while, even if you eventually decide to put it down. It shakes up your ideas about consciousness in a pleasing way.

Of course, the central point is supported by dozens of smaller arguments, drawn from everything from the schizophrenic brain to ancient fertility statues to the Iliad. Jaynes acts by turns as a historian, literary analyst, anthropologist, psychologist, neuroscientist, and sociologist...and in doing so, he stretches himself too thin. It gives the feeling of a pile of unsorted arguments, rather than a carefully curated collection of the best evidence. Still, the central thesis is so compelling, and some of the evidence-pile really does show promise, so it maintains most of its charm.

Before reading, I recommend