Ancient Minds Crafted Reality Differently

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Debates in psychology and neuroscience suggest that ancient humans, such as those who authored significant historical texts, may not have perceived their inner thoughts and emotions with the same introspective awareness as modern individuals. The proposal by Julian Jaynes highlights that their understanding of cognition could have been more physical, viewing mental processes as external and akin to bodily functions rather than internal reflections. This perspective challenges contemporary notions of self-awareness and cognitive development across history.

In this episode we sit down with A.J. Jacobs, a journalist who noticed some striking similarities between Biblical fundamentalism and constitutional originalism, and since he once wrote a NYT bestselling book about titled The Year of Living Biblically in which he tried to live for a year as a fundamentalist, he tried to do something similar by living for a year following the Constitution's original meaning as if he were an originalist and then writing a book about it. He soon learned that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket, though fully within one's constitutional rights, will quickly lead to some difficult encounters and altogether strange circumstances.

The Year of Living Constitutionally

AJ Jacobs' Website

AJ Jacobs' Twitter

How Minds Change

David McRaney’s Twitter