Julian Jaynes' hypothesis suggests that ancient peoples experienced the 'voices of gods' as direct commands, guiding their actions in novel situations like agriculture and trade. This divine direction was a form of social control for increasingly large populations. The transition to consciousness involved a shift away from these direct divine instructions.
Impact: Medium. This reframes ancient decision-making from conscious choice to divine mandate, impacting our understanding of early civilization's structure and control mechanisms.
In the source video, this keypoint occurs from 00:24:46 to 00:26:20.
Sources in support: Josh (Host)

