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OftenBen  ·  3506 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Gods, Voice-Hearing and the Bicameral Mind

    As far as I know, there's no evidence that our modern brain is fundamentally different from that of the ancient Greeks.

And there's not much evidence that it's exactly the same.

    You can't cure schizophrenics by training them in the use of metaphors.

Cure is a strong, and probably inappropriate word when it comes to schizophrenia. I'll have to look up the studies, but in societies that practice more person-centered medicine Schizophrenia outcomes are usually WAYYYYY better than outcomes in the US/UK/WEST especially in the long term. Teaching someone a symbol-structure that enables them to live with their disease and function more normally/independently as well as increasing their quality of life and happiness seems like a far better 'cure' than giving them enough sedatives and antipsychotics that they can barely stay awake.

    I think the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" is relevant here.
It most certainly is, and you're completely correct in bringing it up. I like this theory primarily because of the shift in perspective it forces, and how much more interesting the world would be if there were any way to prove it. That's not to say I believe it, but I do believe that it merits discussion.