[stylist] writing outside our experience

[Donna Hill]

Chris,
There are several things that make this an interesting challenge. First, how
are we defining consciousness? Some people, myself included, believe that
higher animals have consciousness. If you define it broadly enough to be
that something gives indication that its environment can have an impact on
its life, then, we have to add in just about all animals and probably some
plants. If we narrow the definition to an awareness of right and wrong, then
we'd have to exclude some humans. 

Also, if consciousness (no matter how we define it) didn't develop until
more recently than 7,000 years ago, wouldn't that mean that there had
already been significant advances in what we think of as civilization prior
to the development of consciousness?  
I looked up the Hebrew calendar conversion table just to get a frame of
reference: Today, Sun, 17 March 2013 = 6th of Nisan, 5773, so his theory
works from that perspective . Also, from an Egyptian perspective, The
Egyptian civilization is said to have begun when King Menes founded the
first Egyptian dynasty in 3100 BC (making it more than 5,000 years ago, well
within his 7,000 years.

However, the first evidence of creation and use of pottery was found in
Xianren Cave in Jiangxi province between 20 & 19,000 BC. The first
archaeological evidence on domestication of pigs was in the Zhenpiyan
culture 7600 BC (almost 10,000 years ago). Analysis from the Pengtoushan
culture of Chinese rice residues from 7500 BC show that rice had been
domesticated by this time. Archaeological evidence from the Cishan culture
(6000 BC) shows domestication of dogs and chickens for the first time.
Domestication of corn happened in Mexico  cerca 5000 BC. Only this last one
even squeaks into the 7,000 years ago framework.  I have to ask myself how
cultivating crops, domesticating animals and figuring out how to make
pottery could happen without consciousness.

In fact, for your project, that might be a good place to start; think about
what would and would not be going through the minds of your characters as
they developed some of these things. Should be an interesting exercise.
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Christine
Malec
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 2:43 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] writing outside our experience

Bridget's remarks made me want to ask if anyone has read Julian Jaynes's
Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. I'm reading
it because I'm writing fiction set about 7000 years ago. He believes
consciousness is a more recent development than that, and I've been trying
to think about how I might choose to incorporate  his ideas into my
characters. It's a challenge. 
Cheers,
Chris.



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