There are a lot of theories surrounding Rick and Morty from Rick’s origins to Morty’s
future, but why do fans care to examine the show in such depth?
What is it about Rick and Morty that inspires such fervent dissection and analysis?
The shows themes harping on nihilism, absurdism, existentialism and pretty much every other
post modern philosophy may be right in line with people’s current perspectives on reality,
you have a lot of bitter and disillusioned foreign philosophers and authors pre twenty
first century to thank for that, but is there something more fundamentally familiar and
appealing to Rick and Morty, something from our ancient past, something about the way
our brains are working right now?
There’s a pretty popular theory popping up in some of your favorite shows that were
all created somewhat recently.
Shows from the likes of Mr. Robot to Westworld and, more subtly, Rick and Morty.
It’s the theory of the Bicameral Mind.
The theory, proposed by Julian Jaynes, postulates that the human mind, starting 10,000 years
ago, acted like a two chambered system where one side of the brain would be the leader
and tell the other what to do with auditory hallucinations.
Apparently human beings literally had two different sides to them all the way up until
roughly 2800 years ago when the advent of written language allowed them to start thinking
metaphorically and develop something called meta-cognition or the ability to think about
your own thoughts.
Westworld is all about the bicameral mind.
The last episode in the first season was called “The Bicameral Mind” and the theory is
one of the central themes of the show.
One of the robots in the amusement park, Delores, was created by a park designer, Arnold, to
go on her or its own journey into consciousness, but before she can achieve self awareness
she is, like the other robots in the park, subject to controls via programming and the
auditory commands of the techs that work behind the scenes.
A robots whole existence in Westworld is based on the whims of their creators and designers,
they are told what to do and carry it out.
Meanwhile, in our past, according to the theory, the two sides of the brain didn’t have as
developed of a corpus callosum, the material that connects the two hemispheres together,
as we do today so one half acted independently of the other and would communicate via auditory
hallucination.
Yeah, and you are annoyed when a song gets stuck in your head, imagine a brain malfunction
as huge as not even recognizing your thoughts as your own; just coming to you like a phone
call.
Then there’s Mr. Robot, a show about a man with dissociative personality disorder who
plans to erase a large portion of the American people's monetary debts through blowing up
a corporate skyscraper, so Fight Club, but with hacking and more computer stuff.
The twist at the end of season one reveals that the protagonist, Elliot, is in fact hallucinating
the leader of an underground resistance to corporate America and is actually the leader
himse-, so … Fight Club … again.
The second season deals with what side of Elliott is going to have control of his body,
his alter ego, Mr. Robot, or himself?
Mr. Robot is trying to exert dominance and take control and Elliott is fighting back
by trying to shed his hallucination, but, nonetheless, coming to terms with the fact
that his other self is apart of him.
How does this tie to the theory of bicameralism?
Well, Joyce believed dissociative personality disorder to be a remnant of the bicameral
mind.
At one point everyone on Earth, as a default, heard voices in order to think; societies
were formed when groups of people heard the same kind of voice and when civilizations
progressed into metacognition the people who could still hear the voices were thought to
be shamans, priests or were labeled insane.
The voices heard ranged from dead people such as village chiefs and parents, like Elliott
hallucinating his dad, to archetypical gods.
So now we come around to Rick and Morty.
The way this show connects to bicameralism can be found in how it was conceived by the
creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
Harmon, in an interview with Animation Magazine, described Rick and Morty as two sides of the
human brain.
Morty is the side that is naive, immature and always asking questions.
Rick is the other side that is authoritative, selfish and never apologizes for anything,
because, of course, he’s always right.
Rick then, metaphorically, could be seen easily as the side of the brain that told the other
what to do and Morty could be seen as the submissive side that followed orders.
Here’s some evidence.
In the episode, “Rest and Ricklaxation” Rick’s toxic self says some very interesting
things about what he considers to be the nature of his relationship with Morty.
“I’m a god?”
“I control you?”
Rick’s negative self is exhibiting a lot of the same characteristics that made up the
controlling side of the mind considered to be a “god” found in bicameralism.
The notion of Rick being a “god” makes sense even from Morty’s perspective.
Here’s another one.
Again in “Rest and Ricklaxation” Rick says,
“Genius” huh?
The word genius is latin, plural for genii meaning, “special guardian spirit” which
protects one’s moral character.
This went on to mean someone’s “identifying character” then “a marked aptitude”
then what it came to mean today, “a great intellectual power”.
How this connects to bicameralism is that after the advent of self awareness around
3000 years ago the functionality of the brain that was the reason behind the voices that
ran civilizations became the fodder to a lot of religions.
The voice of the gods suddenly became the gods that existed in the heavens or could
only be heard by the divinely chosen like shamans and priests.
The remnants of the bicameral era of thinking included a belief among the Romans that people,
places and objects possessed a divine nature.
These divinities were prayed to in order to assure success in all sorts of endeavors.
For people a divine nature followed them all the days of their life as--a guardian spirit--who
came to be known as an individual’s higher self responsible for their more advanced rational
powers and abilities.
For women this was called their Juno and for men this was called, that’s right, their
genius.
The side of the brain that controls the other in the bicameral mind morphed into the genius
for the Romans and Rick is the genius for Morty aiding Morty along on their adventures
acting as a more advanced rational mind and allowing him to perform in ways he couldn’t
without his assistants.
The other show creator and voice of Rick and Morty is Justin Roiland and how very appropriate
to have two characters that are supposed to represent the two sides of the human brain
be voiced by the same person.
Maybe there’s a little right brain talking to the left brain going on there, you know,
like in bicameralism.
This is what Justin says about the process of recording the voice of each character,
“I just get so inspired when I think about these two very different characters and how
they relate to each other.
When I’m in the booth doing these characters as they talk to each other, my brain shuts
off and it taps into something else.
I think that’s where the magic comes from the way Rick and Morty riff back and forth.
I just go crazy, and it’s really fun!”
The right brain talks to the left brain and visa versa all the time in our day to day
thought lives.
The difference between the time of the bicameral mind and today, according to the theory, is
not really a physical change in our brains, but more of a change in the way we understand
the world.
So, it is totally possible for Justin to “tap into” this right brain, left brain chatter.
In the series we can even see Rick’s flying car as a metaphor for the human brain: Morty
on one side and Rick on the other.
From our perspectives Rick on the right and Morty on the left, just like in the bicameral
mind where the right side of the brain would control the left.
And Rick is even in the pilot seat like how the right pilots the left.
When Morty is driving, like in Mortynight Run, or making decisions in general like in
Look Who’s Purging Now, he usually gets in way over his head, being the pilot of his
own life, get it?
And has to have Rick bail him out of trouble.
Just like how the controlling right side would kick in and control the left during times
of stress and high anxiety.
And, Oh wait, there’s more.
In the same article where Dan Harmon talks about Rick and Morty being like two sides
of a brain, Dan, in speaking of Rick, is quoted saying, “He’s a great metaphor for mental
illness.”
And in the episode, “Pickle Rick,” the psychiatrist has this to say about Rick.
Rick is “sick” because he wants to be the master of his own universe at all costs.
But this sickness is not just Rick’s to bear, it also affects the family.
And most of all Morty.
Remember, Rick wants to control Morty.
And, in doing so, influences Morty with his way of thinking making him question his own
moral and ethical principles which could be a good thing, but is most likely a bad thing.
Bicameralism can be thought of as a type of mental disorder and, in our modern sense of
normal psychology, it most certainly is.
For example, schizophrenia, in the theory, is thought to be a remnant of the bicameral
mind.
So Rick can be seen as a mental illness that is influencing and piloting Morty like one
side of the brain controlling the other and it’s this sickness that is the primary negative
force in Morty’s life causing disillusionment, confusion, irritability, disassociation from
reality, malaise and anxiety.
Now, there may be something of a parallel to Rick and Morty and this whole bicameral
mind theory, sure, but what does that have to do with anything?
How does knowing this bit of information impact the way you watch the show?
Well, in adding all the pieces mentioned here together we can see that Morty is under the
oppression of Rick in the same way that people in the bicameral era were under the oppression
of their own minds.
What broke the cycle was an advancement in the way people thought and understood reality
via metaphorical language.
It was an increase and evolution in intelligence, then, that was our way out of the whole hearing
voices business.
So from this theory a prediction can be made about where the series is going.
Morty will have to somehow separate away from Rick for good.
We’ve seen that Morty has been growing smarter in season 3 and Morty’s increase in intelligence
has already made him able to keep up with Rick in some instances sure, but take a look
at evil Morty.
Not only is he as smart as or even smarter than Rick, but he’s also actively killing
off Ricks.
This might be the outcome of a “cocky” Morty as indicated by Rick in the episode
“Close Rickcounters of the Rick kind”.
So the Rick we watch, C-137, is keeping his Morty in check in order to maintain his dominance
over him even going so far as to alter Morty’s memory.
Why?
Because a cocky Morty can become a hyper intelligent Morty that not only doesn’t need a Rick
anymore, but resents their Rick’s domination so much that they want to get rid of him permanently,
just like ancient humans got rid of their dominating other half.
There you have it, the theory of the bicameral mind and Rick and Morty.
Whatever the creative process is like in the writer’s room, I’m sure there’s a lot
of right brain dominant people arguing with left brain dominant people, hopefully no insane
people arguing with sane people though, but in looking at the show that might not be too
far off.
Take it easy.