Iain McGilchrist, a leading scholar in neurology and author of "The Master and His Emissary," joins Eric Metaxas. They explore the myths surrounding our brain's left and right hemispheres, emphasizing the right's role in nurturing holistic understanding. McGilchrist discusses the perils of reductionism in business and healthcare, advocating for a more balanced approach. He also critiques modernist thought and puritanical attitudes, warning that they hinder diverse perspectives and civil discourse, especially among youth.
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insights INSIGHT
Right Brain Reliability
The right hemisphere is more reliable than the left, challenging common misconceptions.
The left hemisphere is easily deluded and prone to anger and scorn.
insights INSIGHT
Conflicting Worldviews
Two conflicting worldviews emerge from each hemisphere's attention style. One focuses on detail, utility, and power, while the other sees interconnection and the bigger picture.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Master and Emissary
McGilchrist uses the metaphor of a wise master and his emissary to illustrate the relationship between hemispheres. The emissary (left brain) handles details, but mistakenly believes it knows everything, eventually overthrowing the master.
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Louis Sass's "Madness and Modernism" explores the surprising parallels between the experiences of individuals with schizophrenia and the themes and styles found in modern art and literature. Sass argues that many modernist works reflect a fragmented and distorted perception of reality, similar to the experiences of schizophrenic patients. The book examines the works of various artists and writers, demonstrating how their creative expressions mirror the altered states of consciousness associated with schizophrenia. Sass's work challenges traditional views of mental illness and art, suggesting a deeper connection between creativity and altered states of mind. The book is a significant contribution to the fields of psychology, art history, and literary criticism.
The master and his emissary
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.
Iain McGilchrist is a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists to name a few. A leading scholar in the field of neurology he has published original research on neuroimaging in schizophrenia, the phenomenology of schizophrenia, and is the author of, The Master and his Emissary:The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. He joins Socrates in the City host, Eric Metaxas to discuss the myths and misconceptions between the left and right hemispheres of our brain. McGilchrist highlights the importance of understanding the balance within our brains, and how this has shaped and changed Western Civilization.
Socrates in the City 
