Book I, Chapter 2, p. 65-66
“

We have said that consciousness is an operation rather than a thing, a repository, or a function. It operates by way of analogy, by way of constructing an analog space with an analog ‘I’ that can observe that space, and move metaphorically in it. It operates on any reactivity, excerpts relevant aspects, narratizes and conciliates them together in a metaphorical space where such meanings can be manipulated like things in space.

— Julian Jaynes

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We have said that consciousness is an operation rather than a thing, a repository, or a function. It operates by way of analogy, by way of constructing an analog space with an analog ‘I’ that can observe that space, and move metaphorically in it. It operates on any reactivity, excerpts relevant aspects, narratizes and conciliates them together in a metaphorical space where such meanings can be manipulated like things in space." in the context of "Book I, Chapter 2, p. 65-66" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Julian Jaynes" (Quotes, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Julian Jaynes

About Julian Jaynes

Julian Jaynes (27 February 1920 – 21 November 1997) was an American psychologist, best known for his book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976), in which he argued that ancient peoples were not conscious.