In this thought-provoking conversation, Iain McGilchrist, a renowned neuropsychiatrist and author, shares insights on brain lateralization. He delves into the distinct roles of the left and right hemispheres, revealing how the left often fabricates narratives to rationalize its knowledge gaps. They discuss the implications of this divide for consciousness and attention, and explore the intriguing idea that the brain may merely be a receiver of the mind. McGilchrist also touches on the societal dominance of the left hemisphere and its impact on our fragmented sense of self.
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insights INSIGHT
McGilchrist's Journey
Iain McGilchrist's interest lies in the mind-body problem and the intersection of philosophy and neuroscience.
He transitioned from English Literature to medicine and psychiatry, driven by a desire to understand the embodied mind.
insights INSIGHT
The Divided Brain
The human brain, like other mammalian and avian brains, is divided into two hemispheres.
These hemispheres could have been identical, but they exhibit significant functional differences.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Master and Emissary
McGilchrist uses the parable of a master and his emissary to illustrate the relationship between the brain hemispheres.
The emissary, initially a delegated administrator, usurps the master's role, leading to their downfall.
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The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Iain McGilchrist
This book argues that the division of the brain into two hemispheres is essential to human existence, allowing for two incompatible versions of the world. The left hemisphere is detail-oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things, and is inclined to self-interest, while the right hemisphere has greater breadth, flexibility, and generosity. McGilchrist takes the reader on a journey through the history of Western culture, illustrating the tension between these two worlds as revealed in the thought and belief of thinkers and artists from ancient to modern times. He argues that the increasing dominance of the left hemisphere in today’s world has potentially disastrous consequences.
Awakenings
Oliver Sacks
Jonathan Davis
The book tells the extraordinary story of a group of patients who survived the great sleeping-sickness epidemic of the 1920s and were 'awakened' 40 years later by the administration of the drug L-DOPA. Dr. Sacks documents the miraculous and sometimes disastrous effects of this treatment, exploring themes of health, disease, suffering, care, and the human condition. The book also delves into the psychological and philosophical implications of these patients' experiences, highlighting the complexities of identity, personality, and the impact of their prolonged immobility on their lives[1][2][4].
Sam Harris speaks with Iain McGilchrist about the differences between the right and left hemispheres of the human brain. They discuss the evolutionary history of the divided brain, research on surgically divided brains, popular misconceptions about the differences between the hemispheres, the left hemisphere's propensity for confabulation, the prospect that consciousness might be partitioned in an intact brain, the difference between consciousness and attention, the boundary between the conscious and unconscious mind, how face-to-face encounters differ between the hemispheres, the unique deficits resulting from damage to the left and right hemispheres, the ascendancy of the left-hemisphere in modern culture, the possibility that the brain is a mere receiver of mind, the prospect of surviving death, and other topics.
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