The Cunning of Geist 037 - It's Not Only Rock but the Roll as Well: Exploring Hegel's Vernunft & Verstand
This episode looks again at the left brain/right brain dichotomy, and how so much is missed when the left brain view dominates, which it does in today’s world almost exclusively (polarization, either/or, us versus them type thinking).
With left brain thinking alone, one misses the big holistic picture. The right brain sees relations, movement, processes, and life. While the left brain creates a map, the right brain is living in the territory. Right brain thinking understands that every stick has two ends, and that without the stick neither end can exist.
Both types of thinking are of course needed and necessary, but when left brain thinking is exclusively used, creativity and intuition are stomped out. And so is the ability to practice true reason (vernunft). While brain hemisphere research came after Hegel's time, he was very much aware of this difference in thinking, the common understanding (verstand) versus reason (vernunft).
This episode explores the difference, with several contemporary examples to bring this difference to light.