Rationality and Consciousness from a Genetic Perspective
Rationality and Consciousness from a Genetic Perspective
Author(s): Michel WeberSubject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Институт по философия и социология при БАН
Keywords: Alfred North Whitehead; William James; Julian Jaynes; Virgil Gheorghiu; George Orwell; Consciousness Studies; Process Thought; Philosophy of Psychology; Philosophy of Religion; Shamanism; Hallucination.
Summary/Abstract: Rationality and consciousness are strictly correlated. If one evolves, the other necessarily changes accordingly. Of all the possible modes of inquiry, this paper adopts a process genetic perspective informed by the historical speculations of Julian Jaynes. First, we co-define consciousness and rationality. Second, we take up again Jaynes’s insight: (proto-)consciousness has a history, or consciousness has a pre-history. Third, we underline that the sharpening of operational rationality has involved a palpable impoverishment of consciousness over the ages and nefarious consequences for our future.
Journal: Balkan Journal of Philosophy
- Issue Year: VII/2015
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 17-30
- Page Count: 14
- Language: English