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Burroughs & Gysin's Theory of the Third Mind
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@Andrius Kulikauskas
The “first and second” minds are the 1st and 2nd person.
In the situation where one person is asking the other a question, it is like 1st and 2nd mind, mediated by third mind.
Daniel (3/4/2025)
Great! Thank you! Andrius
@Daniel Ari Friedman
William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin developed the concept of "The Third Mind" to describe a unique phenomenon that occurs during creative collaboration. This theory suggests that when two people work together in harmony, they generate a third consciousness or mind that transcends their individual capabilities
.Origins and Development
The concept of "The Third Mind" was inspired by Napoleon Hill's book "How to Think and Grow Rich," which claimed that when two people work harmoniously on a project, a third mind spontaneously emerges, allowing participants to access each other's knowledge and inspiration
. Burroughs and Gysin adopted and expanded this idea during their collaborative work in the late 1950s.Their partnership began at the "Beat Hotel" in Paris in 1957, where Gysin accidentally discovered the cut-up technique by slicing through newspapers with a scalpel and recombining the fragments to create new texts
. After sharing this method with Burroughs, they extensively experimented with it before co-authoring their seminal works.The Cut-Up Technique
Central to their theory was the cut-up technique, which involved:
This method challenged traditional notions of authorship and narrative coherence, embracing chaos, fragmentation, and unpredictability
. When applying this technique during their collaborations, Burroughs and Gysin were so impressed by the results that they felt their work had been composed by a third person—a synthesis of their two personalities
.Philosophical Implications
The Third Mind concept had profound philosophical implications:
Burroughs and Gysin believed their collaborative efforts formed a new, distinct intelligence greater than the sum of its parts—a transformative consciousness capable of producing entirely new ways of thinking and creating
. Their work together exemplified how collaboration could challenge and redefine traditional artistic paradigms.Impact and Legacy
The impact of their theory and the cut-up method was immediate and far-reaching. Their collaborative book "The Third Mind" was conceived as both a manifesto and practical guide for aspiring avant-garde artists
. The concept influenced various art forms including literature, visual art, music, and film
.Their work extended beyond texts into visual art and performance, as seen in Gysin's invention of the Dreamachine—a stroboscopic flicker device designed to induce altered states of consciousness
. Even initially skeptical contemporaries like Allen Ginsberg eventually came to appreciate the cut-up technique after his travels in India
."The Third Mind" remains a significant work in experimental literature and art, inspiring generations to challenge traditional modes of creativity and explore the transformative potential of collaborative consciousness.
Citations:
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