The Sacred Iain McGilchrist on The Divided Brain and Perceiving the Sacred
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Nov 1, 2023 
Dr. Iain McGilchrist discusses his exposure to religion, transition to psychiatry, left-hemispheric dominant thinking's impact on society, concept of the sacred, values of truth, goodness, and beauty, role of spirituality and literature in shaping childhood, influence of hemisphere differences in perception, state of divisiveness and tribalism, importance of formation and resisting binary thinking, moral act of attention, and significance of embracing marginalized perspectives.
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Early Spiritual Influences
- Iain McGilchrist's parents were not religious, so his first spiritual experience was at Winchester.
- His housemaster, a large, humorous man, was a key spiritual influence, recommending books and embodying a balanced perspective.
Early Attraction to Christianity
- At Winchester, McGilchrist was drawn to Christianity and considered becoming a monk.
- He was certain about this path. However, after gaining more life experience, he changed his mind.
From Literature to Medicine
- McGilchrist's shift from English literature to medicine stemmed from his belief that academia's approach to literature was flawed.
- He felt it was too cerebral and lacked understanding of the mind-body connection, leading him to study medicine.