Local Futures Podcast The Bristol Conversations – Iain McGilchrist
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Oct 10, 2025 
Iain McGilchrist, a renowned neuroscientist and author, dives deep into the complexities of the divided brain and its cultural repercussions. He discusses the vital connection between localisation and community, exposing how disconnection harms our well-being. Iain explores the distinct roles of the brain's hemispheres, highlighting how the right side fosters holism and meaning, while the left focuses on utility. He warns against the dangers of AI and the mechanistic worldview, advocating for mindfulness and reconnection to restore balance in our lives.
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Localization Restores Human-Nature Reciprocity
- Iain McGilchrist argues localization reconnects people to place, nature, and community, restoring reciprocity with society and the earth.
- He says this reconnection benefits physical, mental, and spiritual well-being while reducing ecological harm.
Two Modes Of Attention Shape Society
- McGilchrist describes two complementary modes of attention from the brain's hemispheres: narrow, instrumental (left) and broad, contextual (right).
- He links overreliance on left-hemisphere thinking to abstraction, loss of meaning, and endless pursuit of more.
Open The Other Channel Deliberately
- McGilchrist advises we can deliberately shift attention to the right hemisphere by slowing down and opening our minds like switching radio stations.
- He says this shift is accessible and can recover what has been lost in how we experience the world.
