I like this idea and McCarthy talks about this in this essay of it's almost like our unconscious isn't just the single perspective. And so he says, of the known characteristics of the unconscious, its persistence is among the most notable. Here, the unconscious may well be imagined to have more than one voice. I think we've talked enough about this that I'm convinced that that personal identity has so much to do with the narrative that we're continuously telling ourselves.
The Summer of Cormac McCarthy continues – this time we dive into his one piece of non-fiction, the short essay “The Kekulé Problem.” How does our unconscious mind solve problems that conscious deliberation can’t crack? Why does it often work elliptically, in code, rather than giving us the answer directly in language? Is McCarthy right that the unconscious doesn’t trust language because it’s such a newcomer to the human brain?
Plus we select the finalists for our listener selected episode – thanks to our beloved patrons for all their terrific suggestions!
"The Kekulé Problem" by Cormac McCarthy
Pinker & Bloom 1990
Dijksterhuis & Strick 2016
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