Certainty and flow, Iain McGilchrist (part 1 of 2)

How does the polarisation and conflict we are seeing relate to a fundamental division inside all of us in how we see the world? Are we in some sense at war with ourselves?
Iain McGilchrist's book 'The Master and his Emissary' was a sensation. In it he drew a clear and compelling story of how the history of the western world was best viewed as a gradual takeover by the rational, logical left side of the brain, eclipsing the more holistic right brain.
A film about his work will be released next year, 'The Divided Brain' - trailer here: vimeo.com/304915837
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[@Ben.....]

Anyone watching this who is hesitant about reading his book, don't be. It is worth the time and effort. I am 8/10ths through it and only understood about 1/5th but it is absolutely astonishing.

[@Runjeev]

Yes I loved the book Benjamin. I did the audiobook since it more stimulates my right hemisphere.

[@ZacksMetalRiffs]

This channel should have a million subs. These conversations give me the sort of intellectual nourishment that is deeply needed in our society.

[@paulies5407]

I never knew this dude even existed. What a lad.

[@Zanderman2000]

The most important thing man can do is raise awareness of self and others. And it really is only thing we can do, because everything we can perceive exist in consiousness. You can only change what you are consiously aware of. Old proverb "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."

[@12mankina]

Excellent conversation

[@joostvandegoor150]

As far as I am concerned Iain McGilchrist is one of the IDW crew. He's brilliant. Just a wild thought: what about a long conversation between Iain McGilchrist and Jordan Peterson in the O2 (or maybe the Royal Albert Hall)? With live stream on the new platform JBP and his friends are creating?

[@kbeetles]

Joost van de Goor - they have already had a fascinating conversation, available on KZbin.

[@joostvandegoor150]

@@kbeetles I know :-) But I think both of them would like to continue the conversation. Anyway, I would like to hear them talk some more.

[@kbeetles]

Joost van de Goor - I would like that to happen, too!! Fan of both these guys!

[@mondopinion3777]

I watched that . .I thought McGilchrist was oddly reserved with Peterson and I was not sure why . . now that I understand Peterson better (after the Kavenaugh debacle) I have a different take on it.. McGilchrist is exploring terra incognito, rather like Rupert Sheldrake in his own way, and it is lonely out there. You can see it in his eyes, like Sheldrake's.

[@kbeetles]

mondopinion - you are putting your finger on something! I agree, JBP's thinking is fiery ( consuming, too ) immediate ( therefore it can be reactive) and driven by passion. ( Nothing wrong with any of this.) McGilchrist and Sheldrake are both deep thinkers in their private spheres and come out with ideas into the public domain once they have thought things through and through. The quieter person, the slower responder seem to be using not only their thinking capacities but they also listen to the heart responses before they form and articulate their ideas.( so they APPEAR to be slower but the process is more mature and richer x in my opinion)

[@notmyrealpseudonym6702]

Thank you. Iain Gilchrist ' s book is a hard slog but damn it's illuminating.

[@Ballosopheraptor]

Illuminating AKA all this map/territory stuff is exactly the same in every religion around the world, kabbalah, daoism, hinduism with the two serpents, it's all the same thing.

[@Tohlemiach]

His analogy about music at around 33:00 is absolutely wild. I'm shook. That's some major syncronicity

[@vaishalivaidya7978]

Absolutely delightful, insightful and enlightening conversation

[@charlesvincett84]

This man is so right! The harder you push to the right or left..the bigger swing back....

[@TheDionysianFields]

So we can assert that nature (i.e. the universe) demands a balance in all things?

[@TheRealSamPreece]

​@@TheDionysianFields Left creates Right, as Right creates Left but neither exist without each other- The hermetic priniciple of polarity; We can assert that reality is created through a paradox

[@TheDionysianFields]

@@TheRealSamPreece Doesn't answer my question.

[@respectthechaos3004]

Just loved this conversation! Iain is spectacular (check out him and JBP). “The left hemisphere is bright, but not bright enough.” I laughed out loud.

[@wibblegorm]

Brilliant, bring on part 2!!!

[@oSunuZo]

seriously. the world is starved on mcgilchrist content. he really does need to hold court with more of the idw guys. man is an intellectual beast!

[@jamesrossdreher]

Thank you so much for sharing such an enlightening conversation between two intelligent, balanced and genuine individuals

[@paddydiddles4415]

Language has a strong visual-spatial dimension, which is why gesture is so intuitive in communication. Ramachandran theorises that there was ‘synaesthetic bootstrapping’ between the motor cortex of our hands with mouth and tongue which allowed this gestural language to become a proto oral language

[@alexismiller8978]

Inversion principle he spoke of is very powerfulI've used it just with the thoughts and concepts I believe in my mind and flipping them to their opposites and seeing which feels more true extremely valid point

[@allanbrent3643]

Another outstanding video. Congratulations RW. Agree that this would do well to be seen more widely

[@MyMaitetxu]

what a wisdom in his words, wonderfull

[@liammccann8763]

This stretched me intellectually and on a purely human dimension. May have to listen a few times before I come to terms with the content and that is great for me, teaches me to be humble.

[@liammccann8763]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters Thank you ever so much. This video plus Bishop Barron & Ben Shapiro on the same day, a day for heavyweight content and a very pleasant one at that. Nar laga Dhia thu.

[@morganplatt6762]

Agreed.

[@stephenshort5532]

Fantastic interview....loved it!!!

[@gireboy]

Keep doing what you are doing. It is worthwhile!

[@andthereisntone3454]

Outstanding. Thanks.

[@ilzitek2419]

Thank you. So valuable.

[@richardl.metafora4477]

I’m so in love with McGilchrist ideas. It explains so much that I’ve grappled with over so many years. It’s a physical correlate to a whole scope of subjects. All the unexplained, immeasurable effects, like spooky action from a distance, quantum effects, ESP all the inexpressible experience That humans have it also explains how we’re so clueless about our own behavior the unconscious impressions we give and receive I feel a little like Richard Dreyfuss, and encounters of the third kind. He obsessed with the image of the devils tower and doesn’t know where it’s coming from and then finally figures it out, I feel McGilchrist so many ideas especially from Vonnegut from 50 years ago in my life now understandable I feel it’s a real breakthrough. I’d like to know how important it is to me.

[@markrowe5992]

Empathetic gold. Thank you.

[@Robin-bk2lm]

Fantastic interview as an intro to McGilchrist's interesting left brain right brain ideas as metaphors for social problems.

[@andrewblake2254]

Good interview, Rebel!

[@tod7977]

Truly fascinating discussion, thank you RW. I hope your show grows, it's my new fav. The concept of the Liberal Shadow is incredibly helpful I think, one which seems to be getting people's knickers in a twist. I'm going to trawl through your videos for more on that useful way of conceptualising things. This interview is ace, shared & subbed!

[@konberner170]

Great stuff! I agree with almost everything Iain spoke about. Especially how intuition and reason are interdependent and the West has struggles taking intuition as being as valuable as it is. My only criticism is where he first says something like, "we can't keep living at this level of wealth, because we cannot sustain it", then about 5 minutes later he talks about how very important it is to not jump to conclusions. I suggest he read _The Rational Optimist_ and similar books about how wealth is booming around the world. We don't know what the limit of that process is, and it is pretty obvious why his presumption here could be very destructive.

[@ExtremeBogom]

Great illuminating conversation. I'm very much looking forward to the second part.

[@noname-pr7ez]

Thank you.

[@standingbear5692]

Ian’s thought on a part of government doing things backwards made me think of the Lakota Heyoka. Very interesting.

[@stvbrsn]

Standing Bear heh, being autistic I’ve always related to the shamans, outsiders and contrarians, as well as the various tricksters of the world traditions; your Lokis and coyotes and Tom Bombadils and Anansis and Heyokas. The best view is from the mouth of the cave, one foot in one foot out.

[@aniccadance13]

I used to be absolutely in love with Oliver Sacks, now I’m even more in love with McGillchrist, what amazing being, half divine /half human🥰

[@tywiroberts5973]

Incredible interview. Thank you so much for putting this together and asking such careful and well thought-out questions. :)

[@fineasfrog]

By the phrase "yes, but" that he attributes to Zen, he meant to say "not always so". He actually said this in another interview, as I recall.

[@paddydiddles4415]

Does Iain McGilchrist ever make references to the default mode network, and does he integrate this with lateralisation? I’ve not been able to find it. If not this would seem to be a bit of a gap in his synthesis

[@spritecut]

Divided and together. The individual can be thought of as a collection of ‘selves’. The question of ‘who am I?’ must reflect this. It can be understood as different sides of personality; positive or negative emotional states. Or when the self is expressed through actions; acting differently in the variety of social situations. Or even and importantly in overwhelming circumstances, just a single emotion; with the grief of losing a loved one, I become that grief. It should be then understood that ‘I am not a single entity’, I am a collection of emotions, thoughts and actions, or to state the obvious and put as simply as possible, I often feel happy or sad, behave well or badly, act selfishly or generously, can be mean or kind, think thoughtfully or thoughtlessly, contain the feminine and the masculine, behave wisely or stupidly, feel both strong and weak, etc. Accepting these opposing prospects of ourselves, is the most difficult aspect of a healthy life. Bringing these separate yet interrelated, seemingly opposed, elements all together and in balance is the only way ‘I will be whole again’. We must change from a blame, denial and victim mentality and reflect upon and accept our own failings and strengths. Society too must understand this to create a healthier, fairer and more just society. With governments too big to deal with local issues and too small to challenge international problems. With the ’isms’ (socialism, conservatism, communism, fascism, anarchism etc) all too busy arguing about definitions. With ideologies of ‘identity’, however important and vital, though only focusing on certain aspects of the human condition, we can not hope to solve societies’ difficulties, we can only act on an individual basis. If we accept the dichotomies and take responsibility for ourselves, and in the process responsibility for others, then society as a whole will change as a matter of course. It will reach a tipping point, and you could be the individual, the divided self made whole, that tips that balance. Good luck and wish me luck too, because I’m sure I’ll need it.

[@spritecut]

The shadow within; The line between good and evil lies down the middle of everyone's heart. From this all the sorrows of a spent summer are born.

[@malhur]

Fabulous stuff!.Thank you gentlemen.

[@lisaonthemargins]

EXCELLENT interview. The title doesn't do it justice, tbh

[@richardmunn22]

I think a very needed element to this conversation, which is vertical development. This conversation keeps getting confused around horizontal differences in types (left/right brain) and vertical depth (Buber's I-It and I-Thou).

[@richardmunn22]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters Yes I think McGilchrist is saying that, and I see this as a problem because this categorisation itself creates an either/or problem. The left brain for McGilchrist is always relegated to a superficial, narrow, limited, binary etc. view and the right brain to an holistic, inclusive, flexible etc. view. The reality however is that the we develop psychologically and each stage of development is more inclusive than the last, and both right and left brain styles are present at each stage. Harvard psychologist Robert Kegan defined development as the subject (self) of one stage of develop can hold as object the previous subject (self). As McGilchrist doesn't seem to acknowledge vertical stages of development he would seem to have a hard time distinguishing this, because he's saying only the right brain can hold an holistic view.

[@mondopinion3777]

@@richardmunn22 : I agree wholeheartedly. In a contemplative state I can observe the processes of my left brain as it participates a more vertical, less digital kind of reason. The right brain does not guide this state, but seems to underly it and energize it. At the apex one enters the Cloud of Unknowing, and this is another form of awareness which is still, in its way, reason. What the right brain contributes to this, I do not yet know. . . In the Bible, God says "Come let unreason together."

[@mondopinion3777]

spellcheck got me again .. spozed to say "let us reason together"

[@Orthodoxi]

mondopinion unreason works too. 😊🙏😇

[@driveagoodmanbad642]

"If you put power in the hands of people who have no wisdom that's a formula for disaster". --BINGO!

[@Ebb0Productions]

Sounds just like what's happening with all the deplatforming and social media outrage that's going on.

[@cuchullain27]

That would be his egotistical controlling left hemisphere talking.

[@laurencebarettodesouza736]

Hi, great talk. Wondering if there is a gender spectrum to the brain hemispheres. I am a woman, I relate generally in the “ i thou” way. Connectiveness and reciprocity are integral to my perceptions, vies, opinions, thoughts, choices and actions. I wonder whether there is less of this happening for men on average? Looking forward to your help in gaining a broader sense of this.

[@MusicViddeos]

It's a little bit of the opposite actually, in very broad terms. Males have a smaller left hemisphere, and there is ever so slightly more evidence that the right hemisphere is more integrated in males. But the difference is negligible enough that Mcgilchrist refrains from talking about it, seeing as individuals have a variety of differences.

[@savvageorge]

Great video. It's interesting that Iain doesn't rate the philosophy of ancient Greece because some of his views sound very similar to the views held by the Sophist school of philosophy who were very skeptical about truth and used to argue for both sides of arguments. The Sophists and Plato also used to heavily criticise each other, Plato saw them as immoral deceivers.

[@missh1774]

i wonder if driving on the left side of the road versus those that drive on the right side impacts pychosocial behaviour too? So enjoy watching older vids. Lots of starting points to measure my own thoughts since IDW came to my attention. Love it.

[@savethefamily-savetheworld5539]

I wish I could relate what they iterate to my daily life, how what they say can affect me in a positive way.

[@advocate1563]

Set time aside and listen to your inner thoughts, trust your intuition, when you make a decision ask yourself whether you sense its right as.well as think its rhe right solution, take your eyes off the laptop in front of you (left brain mind state) and look into the.middle distance (more right brain creatice space). Take small steps into the unknown (mini adventures) to encourage tolerance of right brain 'chaos' rather than left brain 'order'. Ultimately its the synthesis of order and chaos in optimal.balance to enable you to explore but also operate in the world.

[@Alicja237]

I have seen many interviews with Iain McGilchrist, and this one is the best. It went straight to the interesting questions. Thank you!

[@LeeGee]

Much appreciated (as is the really good camera work, and brickwork). So - is it Patreon or SubscribeStar or what atm? Things moving fast.

[@LeeGee]

Whadayaknow? SubscribeStar: "We are in the process of integrating a new payment processor for our platform. To do so, we had to put accepting payments and new paid subscriptions on pause for time being. The setup process may take up to three weeks. All payouts are safe and will be made on time. Thank you for your support and patience." WTF? They're not capitalising on the exodus from Patreon? That leaves you without my subscription, and me without Part Two.

[@BlueEternities]

I find it intriguing how much he knows about the shadow, and yet does not see the shadows to many of his own conclusions. Just shows how good the shadow can be at evading awareness.

[@VeritableVagabond]

Good point 🎉

[@JohnRiver490]

31:20 Rationality and intuition

[@davidwaynechoate8059]

Live toward Paradox !

[@StreetsOfVancouverChannel]

Random question: what's the semiotic symbolism behind your logo for REBEL WISDOM?

[@thepielife]

Streets of Vancouver wussup my man. If you look at the end of the Jordan Peterson interview (filmed in JP’s house), the logo is explained nicely 👌🏽👌🏽

[@omeander]

All that is needed is just one free miracle and all of the sudden it's logical positivism all the way down...yet nothing is as mysterious and miraculous as reality...

[@dannyjquinn880]

Fascinating, best guest yet for me. Great to see where JP got all his chaos/order brain theory from

[@aqualityexistence4842]

Shades of Pirsig! This is indeed a theory of everything and the nature of reality, and very much parallels the work of Pirsig, all the way back to the Presocratics vs the socratics, to pragmatism, to quantum theory.

[@TriggerIreland]

Great content, thank you Rebel Wisdom. My understanding is that the brain is plastic in terms of adaptability and has been subjected to a century of weaponised psychology in support of the primacy of financial (money) 'growth'. If this psychological attack were less effective, we'd know more about it. If the goals that this psychological attack supports were less important, it would be less well financed. If only those 2 "ifs" were actualised, we might not be on the cultural path on which we've been placed. The challenge I think is how to sustain civility and order while taking seriously these matters and their immediate consequences.

[@AndyMacaskill]

@Rebel Wisdom may I have permission to take a short clip from this?

[@brianbob7514]

13:30, A Middle Ages royal would have said the many of the same things. The persistent worry about resources and change has been with us for a long time. I am not saying he is wrong, just saying that we have already surpassed our wildest dreams about what is possible.

[@kbeetles]

Brian Bob - and are we happier, more balanced, more peaceful for it??? Or THAT does not matter at all , it is wildest dreams that matter..... meanwhile killing organic life around us left right and centre......

[@jeremyb6857]

I am 100% certain that I am uncertain.

[@julianw6604]

What is the documentary Ian was refering to?

[@matthewcaine8493]

I'm skeptical about the implied supremacy of the right brain over the left but that might just be my left brain trying to re-assert it's own certainty.

[@macoeur1122]

Does he actually imply "supremacy" of the right brain? That may be an over simplification....I adore his message and I've been absorbing everything from him I can get my eyes/ears on for the last couple of weeks. My overall feeling is that what he's actually attempting to convey is that the right hemisphere is more like a "zoomed out view" of a map....which allows us see the broader context of "meaning", "purpose", "ramifications" which we can't see when zoomed in too narrowly on what's immediately in front of us....and that each way of "viewing" has it's benefits....That the right hemisphere may be better able to contact reality because of this more inclusive view.....but that the left-hemisphere is what's useful for language...grasping...looking out for one's individual self...short term goals....,etc... which are also necessary qualities/abilities to have. I believe, if anything, he's just having to work harder at redeeming the actual "value" of the right-hemisphere in a world that has largely "brushed it off" as somehow "inferior" or less useful. Generally, I believe what he's saying is that both are like "specialized tools" One is "supreme" in some ways, while the other is "supreme" in other ways. (although the fact that the right-hemisphere can see the value of the left, but the left can't seem to see the value of the right does also "seem" to suggest that it's got to be subordinate in a way) Personally, I have a very strong "hunch" that those who have a strong ability to "toggle" back and forth between the two...those who are more "integrated"...are infinitely more "supreme"in that they have both the ability to clearly recognize/identify what's actually "needed" in any given situation, but also the abilities associated with the left-hemisphere to carry out the "nuts and bolts" part of moving toward the larger goal which has been identified by "the Master" of the right hemisphere. I have another very strong hunch that the left hemisphere is associated with the human ego...(sense of "me" as a separate individual, which is one part of reality) But it's not the ego itself that is such problem....rather it's the unintegrated shadow of that ego which, using his metaphor, is like the "Emissary" who has deluded himself into believing that "the master" is useless, lazy, superfluous, etc... People ARE able to grow out of this delusion (or "integrate")....I think it takes a strong desire, patience, and a lot of self reflection/self awareness...but it IS possible for most anyone.

[@TheDionysianFields]

I think it's more like we've mixed up the horse and the rider, not that one's definitively superior.

[@mrmetaphysics9457]

@@macoeur1122 very good 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@AnuEl_Adonis434]

@@macoeur1122 I concur, and know that this was well written and easy to comprehend.

[@HMALDANA]

Iain is an extraordinary communicator. I love the questions you asked to enrich the dialog. Thanks for sharing!

[@spritecut]

The triumph of the prescriptive over the descriptive.

[@bloodlessarmageddon]

I wrote a book that has words that people may people have a reasons to read

[@mingonmongo1]

One of the better interviews w/ McGilchrist, and thx for digging a little deeper into the implications and contemporary 'expressions' of our growing Left Brain 'tyranny'! BTW, I really enjoy this investigative side of Rebel Wisdom, much more than the side which often seems to reflect a certain _fashionable_ and cynically post-modern POV towards _anything_ considered Mainstream (aka, 'Elites'). And ironically it's kinda hard to imagine anything that's _more_ 'Left Brain dominant', than continually trying to _control_ the world via relentless paranoia and 'mistrust' (also located in the side most associated with our 'anger').

[@VeritableVagabond]

Good points

[@nancymohass4891]

Thanks for mentioning the need for revolution in Education, hope the systems , Reggio Emilia and P4C ( philosophy for children ) become the centres of attention as solutions for our Chios world. As an early childhood educator, I believe the way to help the ability of brain and enhancing the left and right cooperation , is not yet well-known . The Education system need to develop the way Dr.Montessori recognised the critical stage of brain development (mental&phisical) , in order to take advantage of Gary and white matter's flexibility in early years of age due to the fact (I believe) that it's not just the language learning ability but creativity, analytic , problem-solving and critical thinking , they all need to be taking care of , by a "right " Education system before the brain loses it's flaxibility.

[@jennysmith9591]

It is never too late to learn to think.

[@steveisham8624]

The type of content absorbed and pigeonholed by the left brain has a significant effect on how the right brain navigates. So surely the 'what' is important. If you decide to jettison "great books" for example from education the brain is malnourished. 'How' - yes! But it seems to me 'What' is important too.

[@dumfriesspearhead7398]

It's the other way round. It is the right brain that is open to new experience. Once the left brain gets hold of it, it is no longer new, but is now "known", static, re-presented, classified and diminished. As for the "how" and "what". McGilchrist's states that the emphasis has been on the "What" for sometime and he is redressing the balance by investigating the "How" and also "Why?"

[@MarkHarries2018]

Love the show, but the setting looks like an interrogation room. At least stick some flowers in there guys!

[@TheRealSamPreece]

the real illuminators

[@murrik]

6:00 16:00 22:55

[@jonathantownsend3724]

Fantastic and so frustrating, still no mention of Steiner today who addressed all this 100 years ago. He even wrote books to lead the left brain to the right. Here Ian still says - science and philosophy must make assumptions in order to start. No! Read and experience Truth and Science, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, Goethe’s Science, etc. He also addressed education with real and practical suggestions. The idea, I fear, of the ‘spiritual’ part of the world puts us off more than the reality.

[@Omnifarious0]

29:20 - He uses the word 'oriental', which is enough to discredit everything he says as the rantings of a racist in some people's minds. Which, of course, just proves his point. I think it's a really thought provoking set of ideas. Thank you again Rebel Wisdom.

[@MusicViddeos]

I thought about that because he says the word oriental in many of his interviews. I can't completely recall the page, but I remember he summarized autism and homosexuality in the same paragraph as hemispheric polarity issues as well. While I'm not bothered, I can just envision the outrage.

[@banjocracy]

Language comes from music, right on Iain, I have come to the same conclusion.

[@marscruz]

Some creative people on the fringes have supposed that there may be nutrients or practices missing from our diet and activities that affect the interaction between the two hemispheres. These missing ingredients affect the interaction, integration, synergy and creativity and explain our cyclopean outlook on life, culture, meaning and purpose. The imbalance is not only right and left but also inward and outward. Very few spend any time in rumination or self reflection. It's just go go go go go... or veg out and withdraw. The western tradition has brought tremendous advances in Technology and Science but at what expense? I don't want to give up my tech but I would love to see more people questioning the long term consequences of our mad rush towards the possible dystopian future. Can we regain our balance before we spin off the edge of our perfectly machined billet?

[@danx1216]

Heidegger!! We are Human BEINGS in TIME!

[@williamdiaz2645]

"It's about the nature of reality". I suppose it depends on what he means by "reality"? There has to be a base level of "reality" somewhere? Good luck finding it and having anyone agree with it. I believe it was Soloveitchik, the Rav, who said that certitude would be our downfall. From where I'm sitting it would seem best to embrace our uncertainty. That requires ingesting a huge dose of humility. My two cents.

[@ashwinisarah]

Please have Swami Sarvapriyananda from the Vedanta Society of New York on your show...with David Chalmers or Donald Hoffman or Rupert Spira

[@Neilgs]

Interesting , the fact is that Western Philosophy could have gone the direction of Vico (right emotional) rather than Descartes

[@spritecut]

Freedom of speech comes with a sense of responsibility.

[@socraticsceptic8047]

Great work, but who are we ? My verbal thinking self, me writing this now, am I the left brain, both or neither floating above the two?...

[@willleifer1]

Who you are is made up of right and left brain input always; however our personalities may learn more to the input of.pne hemisphere and suppress the other. But think of it this way: if you perceive time passing, the left is working. If you can read the emotion in the words someone says to you, the right is. We always need both.

[@socraticsceptic8047]

So we have this idea of a left brain input and a right brain input to our consciousness, (a triangle let's say), but where is this consciousness - in the left brain or right or both or neither?@@willleifer1

[@willleifer1]

@@socraticsceptic8047 Yes, that is the great mystery. We don't really know, is I believe the short answer. In fact, it's so unclear, that some scientists believe consciousness may be a natural property of all matter and not just brains! These people hypothesize that maybe all atoms are conscious. Something about them coming together I'm.complex systems may somehow increase that degree of consciousness, till in a human brain, you get self-awareness! Quite a thought!

[@socraticsceptic8047]

@@willleifer1 Yes there is a good youtube talk with Rupert Sheldrake "is the sun conscious?" in regard to this..

[@willleifer1]

@@socraticsceptic8047 Yes, Sheldrake is interesting. Funnily enough, I've done a chanting workshop with his wife, which I got lots out of, so I've been to his house! Of course, most mainstream scientists hold sheldrake at arm's length. Here's an article from the Scientific American blog on the growing appeal of panpsychism. We must be cautious though. It is a highly speculative theory with no proof, as yet, that it is true.... panpsychism-and-the-nature-of-consciousness panpsychism-and-the-nature-of-consciousness

[@TheDionysianFields]

A lot of this stuff seems elementary, but that's probably what makes it wise.

[@grahamselby3326]

separation from the rh cases suffering

[@kathysleen4788]

Just getting started on this I had to review because I became distracted by the attractively trimmed beard.

[@delphi202002]

Think of the Left brain as the RAM and the Right brain as the Hard Drive

[@lucasfabisiak9586]

Brother Delphi Forgive me for saying so, but I don’t find this analogy at all helpful or appropriate. Would care to clarify or elaborate on it?

[@delphi202002]

@@lucasfabisiak9586 Hi, first do you understand how RAM works and the Hard Drive in a computer?

[@delphi202002]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters Hi, The language centre of the brain is next door to and dependant on the Limbic system and dopamine reward for learning association. Yes, language is learned and organised in a serial sense of cause and effect; "mama" is the earliest of words learned - say "mama" and mama appears. The processor analogy is fine too which works with RAM; it does not store memory unlike the hard drive.

[@delphi202002]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters i'm quite fortunate that on a good day my limbic system doesn't wake till about 10 minutes after i do.

[@delphi202002]

When we sleep the experiences of the day are transferred from the Left to the Right and that process we call our dreams...moments are categorised into shared experience. Imagine a library and the days activities as books and during sleep the books are put onto the shelves in the library they belong in. Using this analogy it is not surprising that our dreams conjure up past memories and experience.

[@LynnColorado]

If quick change is needed, I think it's Jordan Peterson's words.

[@pn5721]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters what you say about jbp under estimating the ethical corruption in capitalist hierarchies...

[@TriggerIreland]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters regarding your insightful comment about capitalist hierarchies, you may be already aware of "All the Plenary's men" but if not, if not, it may be informative. Well researched and referenced. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJiuZKZrn5yDnaM

[@TriggerIreland]

@@GCU-YouNaughtyMonsters I hear you. I think the old adage of "a problem shared..." has both relevance and strategic import regarding these matters. Discovery being central to being human. Conversations begin. Villages scale.

[@jamesshirtcliff4388]

"How do we get out of that?, Easier said than done" More left brain thinking, No, easier done than said... Embrace the hopeless paradox of existence The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.

[@TheNaturalLawInstitute]

The hemisphere's HAVE to prioritize otherwise the coordination of actions in a bilateral life form is impossible. "Decidability" has to exist. So instead, Right - Prey (broad context), Left-Predator(Narrow context) is a more accurate distribution of the labor. I teach that the difference in hemispheres and the sexes is the division of labor in time, space, and population. Why? Narrow recursive permutation of predictions (left) is just as computationally intensive, as wide general awareness, and actions must take priority over impulses. So better to think of right as a funnel that will raise an alert if it must interrupt the left, otherwise the left follows procedural (dominant) control over actions. Creativity is just produced by auto-association in a market competition for our attention.That market competition is both in time and over time: division of labor in time. Gilchrist is still trying to restore woo woo (empathy), and possibly mysticism, to what is increasingly a rather simple process of division of labor (systematizing) in a massively parellel system of 100M microcomputers we call 'columns'. This isn't guesswork any longer. We know how the brain works at an operational level, and everything else we learn from here will only refine that understanding. So I don't really understand why there is the semphasis on restoring 'woo woo' mysticism to what is a relatively simple process now that we understand it. Perhaps it's the younger generation (or those of us who were first movers) who work in converting neuroscience into artificial intelligence systems, so that we have the necessary set of frameworks to systematize the brain as 'obvious'. Our problem in AI today is that our hardware is built monolithically and we must simulate massive parallelism. It's not that we don't understand how to replicate it. Rebel wisdom is the best emphathic (experiences), near term (feminine) platform that maintains a healthy (male) skepticism (consequences).

[@TheNaturalLawInstitute]

@@perrywidhalm114 Grow up. Learn something.

[@justgamingn]

2:55 Did he just hint that left handed people's speech might be more right hemisphere dominated?

[@jackdeniston9326]

How does what he says help me move forward? Or anyone? He seems to be saying 'Brains are hard and we don't really understand'

[@Doutsoldome]

He is saying that an analytical perspective about the world is not enough; you have also to integrate different kinds of information into a synthesis. In other words, according to him, wisdom requires being open to different perspectives, some degree of intellectual humility and a willingness to try to see the whole picture, not just the parts. You may agree or not, but that's, more or less, what he is pointing to.

[@neochris2]

I'd love to see Iain talk to Robert Sapolsky

[@Kristoffceyssens]

how far down will those glasses go :s

[@hankroest6836]

8:30 "I'm going to sound like a terrible fuddy-duddy..." You at least got that right!

[@DC-wg1cr]

This guy is picking up with Marx's dialectical and historical materialism and running with it lol 👏

[@danx1216]

Carl Jung discovered and sorted most of this put 70 +years ago. Conscious/Unconscious - Individuation Check it out!.

[@julie5978]

Isn't he certain about his conclusions about the brain? Isn't that a certainty?

[@shloopy5]

I disagree with what he says about education being to draw faculties out from within rather than to put knowledge in. That's all very well if you're from a knowledge-rich family where you learned to read and write before ever attending school and you learn about the world every evening at home and during your holidays. Meanwhile children turn up to secondary school who do not know where Paris is, who Churchill is, let alone able to read or write. You must practise critical thinking, but he takes for granted a firm foundation of knowledge.

[@jennysmith9591]

True. As a teacher, I found it necessary to "put (some) knowledge in". But I don't see that as a bad thing, just necessary. You have to spin a top to get it going. The goal is to help students realize that they can keep spinning on their own, like planets.

[@kathleenbrady9916]

No one mentions that women are different and that they are right brain dominant so context and interconnectedness have been neglected and the world and the mess we're in is the result of right brain dominance, exerted by men who can't allow there to be alternate views due to misogyny and patriarchy

[@michaelvolzpiano2163]

History has shown that western civilization has gone back and forth every hundred years or so from a more apollonian to a more Dionysian favor. For instance, the Renaissance was an appeal to reason and order in the 1500's. The Baroque period was a reaction to the overly apollonian Renaissance. The classical period in the 1700's was a reaction to the overly emotional and unordered baroque period, and the romantic period in the 1800's was a reaction to the overly ordered classical period. Perhaps the 1900's marked an apollonian tilt, and all he is doing (besides giving a huge amount of new information about the brain) is pointing out the overly left brained leaning society of the 1900's? Perhaps he's just signalling a need for a shift back to a more Dionysian favor?

[@leslietaylor5003]

I think Dr. McGilchrist is one of the most important scientist/philosophers of the day. In fact, his research findings could save the day if enough people were to learn of them. However, I consider myself a liberal and am daily finding "liberals" more and more vilified, blamed, scapegoated even, for the world's problems. Recently I was at a shop where the owners said something derogatory about liberals and naively, not realizing how intense their views were, I causally stated that I considered myself a liberal at which time their contempt grew and I had to leave. I've never considered my views politically correct, they just seem more humane and less materialistic than the conservative social/political perspective. It seems that McGilchrist's position here is at odds with his findings and philosophy.

[@hamishsupina2457]

It's good palpatine embrace the dark side my son

[@-Gorbi-]

"the left hemisphere is very limited..." Thinking of some arrogant rationalist atheists types right now....

[@DaveE99]

Do you think you are more right brain.

[@mingonmongo1]

Agreed, though one could say the same thing about the continually _proselytizing_ and uber-'literal' Fundies too. Aka, "the Left Hemisphere doesn't know what it doesn't know."