Julian Jaynes and the Next Metaphor of Mind: Rethinking Consciousness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In _The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind_, Julian Jaynes presents a philosophy of mind with radical implications for contemporary discussions about artificial intelligence (AI). The ability of AI to replicate the cognitive functions of human consciousness has led to widespread speculation that AI is itself conscious (or will eventually become so). Against this functionalist theory of mind, Jaynes argues that consciousness only arises through the mythopoetic inspiration of metaphorical language. Consciousness develops and enacts new forms of self-understanding, continually evolving new "metaphors of mind," metaphors which must now account for the emergence of AI.