The Divided Mind: A Conversation with Iain McGilchrist (Episode

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Iain McGilchrist about the differences between the right and left hemispheres of the human brain.
Released: February 1, 2021
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[@superregera799]

Sam: “If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll only be hearing the first half of this conversation.” Me: But is it the left or the right half???

[@cerealrakist7360]

😂😂😂😂✌🏻

[@LKRaider]

@@myboringdesktop it seems it is free, but you have to request access to the rss feed

[@surfacereflection8298]

Left, obviously. We are missing the part on the right of the video track...

[@alecchapin9071]

@@myboringdesktop good, GTFO if you somehow think it isn't free for absolutely anybody. Clearly a thinker, not a listener

[@dden7670]

I like Sam but I find his reasoning for monetizing his podcasts through subscriptions instead of ads ridiculous. He justifies it by saying ads might influence his content or it would make him more vulnerable to the dreaded "Cancel culture". Really? His choice but I think it greatly restricts his audience and it's future growth.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

Actually, I am a subscriber but KZbin is more convenient

[@smarterthanyou2255]

Same but I think it's time we boycott the big tech companies. They are abusing their power and it is becoming a serious problem.

[@JaysonTodd-do6io]

@@smarterthanyou2255 are you gonna take a knee?

[@mendelovitch]

Install Antennapod. It is GREAT.

[@BM-vj1px]

@@JaysonTodd-do6io take a knee where?

[@Jedi_Are_Scum]

@@BM-vj1px Take a knee, means are you going to boycott YT?

[@sunyata150]

Was immediately blown away these people even talked, given how disembodied Sam is, even when people point it out to him. Excited to see how this conversation will go.

[@sunyata150]

@Melissa Oestreich I feel like he's an over-rationalist. Rational thought is enormously useful but its not the answer to everything, or anything existentially. But I feel like he sees it as everything, like a lot of high school atheists. Both Douglas Murray and Jordan Peterson have given him a hard time about this (and Sam respects Murray enormously at least).

[@Wretchedrenegade]

​@@sunyata150jbp too.

[@randyramsey7715]

I live in west Virginia. And I thought no one else thought exactly like me until I found Sam Harris. You can imagine how I stick out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else in the way I think here. I wish their were more people like us. It's so lonely to feel like what I think is common sense no one else around here can comprehend these ideas and way of thinking like Sam Harris talks about. He can articulate it s so much better then I ever could. But it's still above their head here

[@nicki4515]

My grandmother is from WV, she said nobody leaves WV you only escape west virginia.

[@agoogleuser3214]

Do you have the same views on Trump or do you think the criticism of the danger being exaggerated / not focusing enough on the danger from the other side is valid ?

[@frankylangrell9612]

I attribute that perception to a smaller % of the population are seeking their next level of awakening and fear or they would rather think about "things" rather than ideas. Perhaps you're recognizing and identifying with them

[@toby9999]

@@agoogleuser3214 I believe the TDS started early, probably as soon as Trump entered the race whenever that was. The left (along with Sam) were screaming about the incredible danger Trump posed including wars and other calamities. All over hyped and baseless. What we saw was a man who said a lot of dumb irrelevant stuff (but which the left fixated on) while he got on with the important job implementing his big ideas election promises around border security, stimulating the American economy and promoting peace in the Middle East. Now with Trump gone, one would think the left might just get on with the job in hand but no, they're still fixating on Trump. Cleanly suffering a form of derangement. I hope Sam is recovering because I want to see the Sam of 2015 back.

[@cerealrakist7360]

@randy Ramsey , Feeling the same here in Alabama as well!!

[@truecapitalist4718]

“Their spirits were divided into blinded hemispheres” ~Peart “Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air” ~ Waters

[@diegotejera2742]

RIP Neal

[@bowdencable7094]

Oh wow-I met Dr McGilchrist at an event in Kilkenny a couple years ago and ate breakfast with him. He’s a brilliant man, and delightful company.

[@benrudden4757]

Yup Ireland

[@martinrea8548]

@@benrudden4757 Do Leprechauns really exist?

[@waterkingdavid]

​@@martinrea8548Yes!

[@jbauman1111]

I work in Occupational Therapy, and have noticed problematic outcomes for R-side CVA (stoke) for patients - and the more severe the CVA, the worse the outcome, especially compared to L-side CVA. Thank you to Sam Harris and Dr. McGilchryst for this fascinating discussion. 🙏🏼

[@alecgolas8396]

I used to stutter a lot when I was younger, which I always thought was just anxiety. However after listening to this and learning that left handed people (which I am) is strongly associated with bilateralized language functionality, as well as stuttering. It literally felt like my brain was arguing with itself about which words to say, and this totally explains it. I still experience that, but I've definitely become better at handling it

[@LKRaider]

“Same h.. [left brain: is it really the same? Oh you are trying to relate to the person, not prove complete identity, carry on] .. Same here”

[@gerry4281]

As a speech therapist, I can’t say I observed this connection. What you describe sounds like word avoidance or a fear of stuttering on specific sounds. In stroke clients, the lesion in the left brain usually affecting speech but the paralysis was usually on the opposite side of the body. Thinking of a cross over of fibres in the corpus colluseum. My father had paralysis on his left side after stroke. His speech was unaffected but his judgement and emotions were affected.

[@alecgolas8396]

@@gerry4281 Yeah, I wouldn't think of it as a fear, but sometimes I'd hit a word and I couldn't say it at all. I've gotten good at being able to identify those words beforehand (don't ask me how I know, I just know) and choose different words to use.

[@SammyCee23]

What is the cure for stuttering?

[@gerry4281]

@@SammyCee23 There is no cure. It can be managed. Check out American Speech and Language website. Lots of current guidelines.

[@morganfreemanwannabe]

When Sam Harris said, what if they'd both hypothetically had strokes at some point in the conversation, and Ian just goes, "Inconvenient" in that deep British accent, I died laughing, lol

[@ReynaSingh]

“He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.” Lao Tzu

[@v1kt0us]

Yeah, partly...

[@Seanonyoutube]

Damn, you’re everywhere

[@m74d3]

@ILGustavo A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

If only we could work towards unity.

[@thesuicideculta.k.athefunc3895]

.............

[@Dialogos1989]

So serendipitous. I just bought the master and his emissary a couple days ago. I love what mcgilchrist is saying here!!

[@alecgolas8396]

In high school I got surgery on my left arm, and I had to take notes with my right arm for over a month. Usually if I write something down, I'm going to understand it pretty completely. However, with my right hand? I couldn't learn anything at all. It was so shocking to me how different my comprehension of the material was.

[@sculptedbysheena]

Wow, this really helps me put alot into perspective

[@robertjsmith]

so when you masturbated did it feel like someone else ?

[@vKarl71]

I'm reading The Master and his Emissary now. It's amazing.

[@SamuelJFord]

I read Iain's book through lockdown last year. It is the best non-fiction book I have ever read hands down. Read it!!

[@SammyCee23]

What is the book called?

[@SamuelJFord]

@@musopaul5407 Think the follow up is now called 'The Matter With Things'? I may be mistaken. But yes 'The Master and His Emissary' is the book I was first refering to. It really is something special.

[@Ofinfinitejest]

I plan to read it, but many reviews suggest he overextended findings about the brain to aspects of culture.

[@SamuelJFord]

@@Ofinfinitejest Yes I think a lot of what influenced those reviews is the fact that often the explanations that evolutionary psychology gives for various cultural are extremely simple and sometimes just plain wrong. Because of this people have got it into their heads that all biological explanations of culture (or even just links to culture) are wrong. Iain does something a bit more subtle than a straightforward biological explanation of a culture though. The first half TMAHE explains the two main forces (often opposed) that govern the human mind using the neuroscience of the hemispheres, the second half shows how the swing between these two forces can be seen at a cultural level throughout history. He's not saying actual brain changes / mutations cause these cultural shifts. I get why some reviewers think that he's pushing it a bit far, and there's so much in it that he's likely got some things wrong.

[@SamuelJFord]

@@musopaul5407 Yes I agree with this. People tend to think that culture is so far removed from the brain, but I think this is because we have the idea that the brain is this sort of neural computer and not really 'us'. Of course human beings make culture and the brain/mind makes human beings. Describing the two main forces of the human mind is therefore going to be extremely relevant to the evolution of culture.

[@tldrinfographics5769]

Bravo bravo to this monumental conversation! Standing ovation.

[@Tony-md7dr]

Seeing this is like getting a big present on Christmas Day. I can’t wait to open it ☺️🥳

[@parrmik]

yes , chistmas has become so commercial lately.

[@kylewitherrite6916]

Only women use emojis, hi.

[@virtuosa69]

@@kylewitherrite6916 "Only women use emojis"... You're so passe

[@meroneadawson6847]

✊🏿

[@gavaniacono]

Incredible insights from Sam at the 45 min mark that add to the mystery of Iain's thesis. Really thought provoking. Thank you.

[@christopherhamilton3621]

Which is why these discussions piss me off. It’s only there we actually get to a definition of consciousness. That should be covered SO much sooner!

[@MrJamesdryable]

Iain has an absolutely amazing interview with Tim Freke. This should be good!

[@miles2354]

It takes a conversation with Iain to make me finally subscribe.

[@djn1822]

It’s important to contemplate subconscious and conscious functioning in the division between the hemispheres

[@johans7119]

"... that was my answer to that question, now I'm going to get myself a grilled steak, I'm sorry if your listeners are all vegetarians..." 😆 Don't wait too long for Part 2 Sam!

[@nathanjanus4579]

Bonus episode this week. Nice.

[@Eruption1O2]

Why does my mans sound like he bout to execute order 66?

[@maxgregorycompositions6216]

He's an elderly, well-educated Englishman from the south of England, haha. It's gonna happen. For many, that type of speech/accent is only synonymous with a character like Sidious etc. Are you an American, by any chance?

[@Eruption1O2]

​@@maxgregorycompositions6216 Damn straight brother. Born and raised in the land of the free. However, I am but a humble pig farmer and would have a better chance of shootin the snout of a coyote in the eye of a twister than holding the company of such a resplendent gentleman of wealth and taste.

[@maxgregorycompositions6216]

​@@Eruption1O2 Hahaha, brilliant. Amazing response. That would be amazing if you did that. I thought you were American, yes. If you go and walk around Oxford university or some such other place in the south of England you'll hear the "Sidious" voice a lot lol (mostly coming from slightly posh Englishmen).

[@nsh1980gmail]

Good talk boys

[@Uppernorwood976]

@@Eruption1O2 yeah, they does talk fancy

[@SebastianLundh1988]

Sam *really* needs to have Bernardo Kastrup on. His take on consciousness and life after death would be so interesting to hear Sam's thoughts on.

[@neoman285]

Kastrup is miles ahead of Sam, but they are taking on different problems in a way. Sam is still far too left brain, we might say!

[@christopherhamilton3621]

Lol! They might come to blows…

[@FlopsEgo]

I love how someone would dislike it already lol just the intro music not good enough? 🤣

[@Gallowglass7]

Some people just wanna see the world burn bruh

[@quebueno8822]

Hey maaan, that’s just, like, your opinion maaan

[@petesake1181]

same goes for the people who liked it, which is a much larger sum

[@Wandering_Chemist]

You know this man lol they can’t help but to hate 😆

[@dmf3357]

@@petesake1181 good point

[@Voller84]

Incredibly interesting. I love stuff like that.

[@nicolelittle6429]

Thank goodness for Sam Harris.

[@aurabless7552]

great first half going to need to pull the second hemisphere from my phone app haha

[@MrMcWitt]

Hey Sam I would love to hear you have a conversation with Daniel Schmachtenberger! He is a brilliant mind and has a series called “The War On Sense Making” that I recommend to everyone!

[@Gallowglass7]

Thank you. I had a look, sounds good!

[@Hollis_has_questions]

He’s excellent. Good suggestion.

[@nicki4515]

Thanks! New addition to the small list of reasonable sounding speakers :)

[@jodo6329]

I might if I have the time, but I can't guarantee anything Erik. And besides, I am the author of my own show and I would appreciate it if you would allow me to do my thing. Regards, Sam

[@paullee1566]

I would too, but likely for the opposite reason. I find DS has a talent for intoxicating meaningful-sounding word salads, ie, he's not on the side you think he is in "the War on Sense Making." 😂 😂 I think Sam may be able to help root out some coherence if there's any to be had in DS's worldview. I would suggest Vervaeke would be a more fruitful interview - and an awesome follow to McGilchrist.

[@troydaum4728]

Who else would want to see Sam and Gabor Mate speak?

[@invin7215]

I read The Master and His Emissary years ago and it always stuck with me. It's one of those books that changes how you think about life and the world in general. I was so happy to see this in my feed today and I'm watching the documentary now.

[@sculptedbysheena]

These conversations have given me the ability to make sense out of things I've always felt to be true but didn't have the knowledge necessary to make it make logical sense. It has also helped me recognise the power of my intuition and to stop self doubt. I understand why I could calculate math answers in my head but couldn't understand the equations themselves, this makes so much more sense to me now. Also, music, subconsciously I'm always dancing to the beats in songs not it's lyrics, the beat is mostly always faster, so people would tell me I'm out of rhythm and I'd wonder how they didn't notice the beat in the background without me pointing it out. But I realised anytime I start singing along with the music, I automatically follow the rhythm of the lyrics and I can hear the beat as background noice but cant interact with it, I then find it hard to dance to it while singing and it hit me, OMG people can't hear the beat and the lyrics simultaneously, while I can hear them both but can't dance to them both. And in conversations, I can understand people's points and agree but they can't understand mine which I can clearly see is an aspect of the topic we're on, but they can't so they deny or dismiss it. And it goes alot deeper as each side has a deeper connection to different hormones etc. I'm so obsessed with this stuff and so happy to find every piece of information out here. Thank you

[@StuartFuckingLittle]

Love you Sam!!

[@MayorMcC666]

Listening to this one with just my left ear so it’s more flattering to the right side of my brain.

[@bertrandrussell894]

Thanks Sam

[@DB-sd3cw]

Sam please have Ben Stiller on

[@maverick9708]

😂 Yes, I'd be down for that

[@joeljohnson896]

It'd be like the Spiderman pointing to Spiderman meme

[@DB-sd3cw]

@@joeljohnson896 😂😂

[@Uppernorwood976]

I prefer Sam to have a cameo in the next Zoolander

[@yoganandavalle]

I would very much prefer to have Ham Sarris on the podcast, do you know him?, he's quite cool.

[@aclearlight]

Lovely, elevated way to invest an hour. Most worthy!

[@vascoamaralgrilo]

Thanks!

[@CNinjaa]

The thought of your opposite hand undoing or countering your actions is quite haunting.

[@justg2310]

that was fascinating... thank you sam! 🤓

[@zeppelindodds]

Awakenings is my favourite book

[@KonguZya]

I may subscribe just to hear the rest of this specific episode.

[@adamlane6453]

Me too. Just did.

[@filmjazz]

Here’s an idea I just had at 14m into the video: maybe the two hemispheres are to cognition as our two eyes are to stereoscopic vision. The ability to perceive three dimensions in space is an emergent property of having two slightly different visual inputs instead of just one. Perhaps human, abstract-level cognition is a similar emergent property. Something to ponder on.

[@LKRaider]

The analogy is interesting, not sure what it could predict about the experience and functionality of only having one tho

[@ArkticDark]

I have been interested in Ian McGilchrist and his book ever sense I saw Jordan Peterson interview him. Got that book on Audible after that interview and its very good.

[@eduardkoch5213]

drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1YP_-yqhS3_exi6Kfo8Gq82qIyMlJy6_V

[@jrileycain6220]

Fascinating!

[@garyrolen8764]

When listening to the discution about who a person becomes after having a stroke in one hemisphere or the other I thought about: What if we could simulate a stroke, or really, shut down a specific section or selection of sections of one side or the other to do experiments with an individual. Could we uncover all personality types in a single individual? All possible levels of the IQ scale? Could we find a perfect balance?

[@sculptedbysheena]

I truly do believe this to be true after a few books, The Science of Being and The Laws of Human Nature are two I can think of as most telling right now. It's so interesting how human nature exists on a spectrum and what's interesting is that where you fall on that spectrum is highly dependent on which level of conditioning you receive from your environment.

[@earthian3658]

If anyone finds this fascinating and would like to pursue the topic further, Sam's audiobook "Waking up A guide to spirituality without religion" has a chapter or two devoted to both hemispheres of the brain and their specialized functions. It's a great listen.

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Jordan Peterson also goes on about it, a LOT, in his first book 'Maps of Meaning'

[@SamuelJFord]

I mean, THE book to read on this topic is Iain's, The Master and His Emissary.

[@richardmendonca38]

Last year I read somewhere that naming personalities as left brained or right brained is completely oversimplification

[@tonyfortune346]

This fella is extremely long winded. Very fascinating and interesting subject. I enjoying hearing Sam's perspective on everything unfortunately this guy started going and never stopped. Still a great episode

[@gavaniacono]

That's your left hemi speaking.

[@imperfekt7905]

@@gavaniacono LOL

[@chrisschmid5212]

wow, what a loaf of insight. best ep in a while' takes my vote

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Makes a change from Trump bashing!! Which side of the hemisphere is that then? I'd say left as it's more logical and just cant fathom the reality of Trump and his devotees!

[@Thomas...191]

I'd recomend Ian's interviews with rebel wisdom, Jordan Peterson and a little animated RSA video of his... can't wait to read his book!

[@OfCourseICan]

I found this debate fascinating, and I was brought here because of Harris' book" Free Will"! Something that was not touched on here. Or am I missing something?

[@truecapitalist4718]

Sam, please PLEASE interview Stuart Hameroff.

[@brettbelcher4726]

To say that only 2% of the brain's neurons are connected via the corpus callosum and to conclude, therefore, the right and left hemispheres are 'not that linked' is at least somewhat misleading. Neurons are connected to other neurons. In fact, every neuron synapses with, on average, 10 thousand other neurons. Neuronal networks are vast and spread across, and through, the brain's real estate.

[@F--B]

I'll bet he's thought through his conclusions way more than you have.

[@HOBIXpl]

@@F--B Yes, but I also felt like he could have presented the argument better, considering that he mentioned it

[@MusicalBasics]

Hmmmm, someone who spent 20 years studying this topic, worked as a neuroscientist, given countless lectures at prestigious universities and forums, or, random KZbin commentator who thinks they know what they're talking about.

[@kiljoy3254]

Apparently the corpus callosum is largely inhibitory in its function

[@ryanlindsay4117]

Iain wasn't fully engaging with Sam's position and that's why things got bogged down for a while. Sam did a good job getting the conversation back on track

[@alecchapin9071]

Ian is quite the Fellow

[@azaquihelify]

subscriber here, what am i doing in KZbin ? anyhow, this conversation was delicious..... that the closest i can get to describe the fulfillment of this hour of listening to this 2 gentlemen..... thank you sam !! ohhh here comes the pay wall....for all of you cheap bastards

[@jacobmacdonald4713]

ian mcgilchrist is the MAN!

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

39:05 - Accommodate or regrow?

[@gerardmulder7656]

So great to have a break from your tds! A great conversation.

[@msmaryna961]

@L Brown Talks TDS is a term for people who consider themselves "free and rational thinkers", but have ZERO tolerance for criticism of the twice impeached former president. Sam committed the unforgivable sin of not debasing himself for this man of low intellect and character. Fascinating to track such cognitive dissonance

[@countdebleauchamp]

I have to wonder about anyone who unironically uses the word 'TDS' at this point. Traitorous bastard should be stood up in front of a firing squad. After a legally held trial of course, and full due process.

[@msmaryna961]

@@countdebleauchamp Indeed. Weirdly, many of Sam's listeners hold the Orange Cow in great regard and accuse Sam of "losing his mind" for criticizing him. Amazing that people upload their subconscious beliefs on the internet and insist others yield to their derangement.

[@1DangerMouse1]

@@msmaryna961 glad to see some people who get it. I think a lot of the "free thinkers" who follow Sam are unfortunately just those who like that he has said things that "trigger libs". They are not people who really want to think much. It's just extreme identity politics (the Trump worshiper variety) from people who claim to be against identity politics. Sadly, they have NO insight into it. It's actually terrifying that someone could be so blind. Literally watching videos that outline critical thinking and why the most woke and Trumpists are very similar in how they fail at it. Yet still allowing identification with Trumpism to dictate everything.

[@msmaryna961]

@@1DangerMouse1 Agree. Hilarious that these types believe "free thinker" = someone who thinks exactly like me. I must say, Sam has unintentionally created quite the science experiment among his followers. Sad to see so many guys consider "owning the Libs" to be a guiding moral philosophy.

[@Quest4Truth247]

Thinking about the point that Sam is trying to make towards the end of the presentation. I would argue that may be what’s happening is not a conflict between the two hemispheres but in interpretation of what each side is experiencing. If one side stores information that it deems important while the other stores information it believes important, it’s easy to see how each side might interpret the same piece of information differently kind of like a never ending Rorschach test.

[@anatolydyatlov963]

Sam "Have you ever done any psychedelics" Harris xD (might not be a part of this video, but it was said in the full version of this podcast) In all seriousness, though, he convinced me to try DMT and psilocybin.

[@mehdibaghbadran3182]

Normally and fairly, people choose with confidence , not by chance

[@Gallowglass7]

YES; I love this man! I hope Jordan Peterson talks with Iain sometime in the near future again too.

[@Wandering_Chemist]

Ehhh JP is so 2016 bro move on

[@randyramsey7715]

Yea Sam kinda showed Peterson's flaws in thinking. I don't think there s much else Peterson has left for Sam

[@amosbackstrom5366]

JP uses a lot of fluffy words to say basically nothing, except promote right wing propaganda. He’s an intellectual idiot

[@RaminSQB]

Jordan Peterson is not objective at all. Conservatism will go wrong badly in this platform.

[@Gallowglass7]

@@randyramsey7715 I messed up my message, I was meant to say I'd like to see Iain and Jordan have another conversation. Also, Sam and Jordan could have some good discussions on a whole array of topics. I hear where you're coming from though.

[@rekunta]

Hi Sam Harris. ✋🏼

[@tavontebrown7394]

Two of the greatest minds of our age discussing some of the most intriguing and important questions 🙌🏽 internet, you’ve done it again A theory for all you JP fans: Both Nietzsche and Jung had perspectives of duality that are related to the dichotomy of the hemispheres (e.g. Dionysian/Apollonian forces & unconscious/conscious minds).

[@ekszentrik]

52:55 this unconscious intelligence definitely exists. Have a lucid dream -- you can then talk to something with human intelligence that is (probably; how would being conscious inside someone else's dream work?) not conscious. Utterly utterly fascinating when I ask my brain or "dream director" to conjure something, and then something very complex pops up with zero knowledge of me beforehand. It's equally spooky if one of the split halves *doesn't* have consciousness. It's simply bizarre to think about a brain purely as a biological computer, absolutely zero actual experience happening, and an extremely sophisticated one at that, able to understand language.

[@uzalet6826]

i need to get more of these podcasts! IF I just subscribe... THAT'D BE GREAT !

[@RJ-cs9gz]

Very fitting that they each represent one of the hemispheres. Sam H the constricted, arrogance of the left; Iain M the deep, open wisdom of the right

[@UserName-ii1ce]

22:57 boxing?

[@kataroquasinzki7383]

Saw that thumbnail and immediately thought about picking Samuel's brain about it..

[@zaidzadan4781]

why you don't create CC ,, we need translator Mr. Sam ??

[@visicircle]

The Master and His Emissary (along with Julian Jaynes' work) convinced me to go to grad school. It's an amazing step forward in understanding human consciousness and how we should live our lives.

[@christopherhamilton3621]

I’m interested in what you think of differences between them.

[@visicircle]

@@christopherhamilton3621 Jaynes' theory is probably wrong. McGilcrists' is probably right.

[@reedmaxwell2709]

I’m only 22 minutes along, but it seems like a simple/reasonable explanation for the existence of two hemispheres capable of independent functioning would be that an extra hemisphere would’ve aided the earliest brain-based organisms in survival by way of acting as a “backup” brain in the event the foremost got knocked out somehow. It might’ve just stuck around over the next 500,000,000-1,000,000,000-odd years :).

[@kiljoy3254]

I think, in a way, you’re not far off the mark. Apparently dolphins and those swifts (or swallows), that spend much of their life on the wing, get their sleep one hemisphere at a time. That to me seems a rather compelling reason for why the hemispheres are divided. That’s not to say Iain’s thesis is incorrect; if we accept that going way back down the evolutionary chain, being able to be both asleep and vigilant at the same time was crucial, that doesn’t explain why, when more modern species no longer require to sleep one hemisphere at a time, the hemisphere division has, according to Iain, become more, not less, pronounced.

[@manolisworld]

Can we bring Dr. Ramachandran in the discussion please!

[@balancedlif3308]

I wish I had someone to talk to in my real life. No one seems to align with my views. I turn to people like Sam, but I'd like to have someone to bounce ideas off of. So many sheeple in my life.

[@rufusreloaded1043]

I've tried to request free access twice now. I'm not working at the moment. I've sent another message to the email link on the website but so far no reply. Maybe third time lucky.

[@pran10000]

I got it in an hour mate

[@rufusreloaded1043]

@@pran10000 Still nothing.

[@pran10000]

@@rufusreloaded1043 Strange. Check spam folder

[@georgek2499]

Sam at his best.

[@Voller84]

I wonder what Bob Arctor would have to say about all this.

[@thivyaprasad1414]

I almost totally forgot Sam Harris did a PHD in Neuroscience . Ggooddddd

[@sirjorahmormont3448]

Sam, Steve Schmidt a founder of The Lincoln Project described Trump Supporters as "A Cult of Personality." that phrase I believe was originally used to disparage Joseph Stalin by his successor. Now the phrase has multiple meanings, I'm very curious how you would define it.

[@noochynomads1335]

Man Sam... Hopefully you have read The Master and the Emissary by now.. I think it would have changed this entire conversation.. And you should have got early access to his new book... would love to see a debate between you and McGilchrist once you read those... I watched all of the debates you had with Peterson, and having read McGilchrists book several times, was loosing my shit over how you and Peterson worked on those big issues... Jordan seems pretty shabby at really bringing Jungs work into our post modern mind.. McGilchrist will elevated that conversation 100 fold.. Maybe without even mentioning the name Jung.. He would be able to go much deeper then the wall Peterson kept hitting of "A-priori Structures", and actually challenge you on the truth of "facts". It would be a debate of centuries!! instead of just keeping your social credit high by debating the new hot fad

[@abrahamjacob8749]

My wife resides completely in my left hemisphere.

[@noreenquinn3844]

If you take everything into account you would have a combinatorial explosion situation and your brain would shut down. The brain has to be able to focus, find relevance and meaning and develop wisdom. This is why it's important to be careful what you attend to as Iain says. We must take the time. Balance things, listen to other points of view, weigh up things but remain open too. Listen to what nature has to says too and use intuition, meditation. We must be generous in sharing and listening. We take in information from everything and everyone. We gain wisdom from this participation. I don't like that a subscription excludes people from any conversation. What does this say?

[@MsReasonableperson]

I think it says that you are self centered and somewhat ungrateful. A glass half empty sort. Instead of gratitude for the free sharing you are begrudging Sam or Iain for making a living from their work which in my book is ungenerous. I only say this because you asked. I hope you are open to that.

[@tylermark4725]

@24:16 ____how could you know that they lived conscious lives? All you could infer is that they lived lives as if they were conscious

[@HomeshighlandPark]

Compensating hemispheres doesn’t isolate function of each. Therefore, we cannot determine unique function of each. Soul is located in the brain and cannot be measured by humans. That is the X factor.

[@visicircle]

The definition of consciousness is useless giving what we now know. Thoughts that originate from the left side of the brain are easier to verbally expressed because the speech centers of the brain are also on the left side (Wernicke's and Broca's areas). The right side of the brain is probably just as 'conscious' as the left side, but it is harder for use to represent what we know verbally, due to it's relative proximity to the our speech centers. Thus the distinction is really about being "self" conscious versus our "selfless" consciousness. Another example: The right side of the brain deals with music, which is a very different method of communication compared to speech. Unsurprisingly music and poetry is associated with the unconscious and mysterious origins. This appears to be entirely due to the structure of the brain.

[@diegotejera2742]

Sam the man

[@baristaodla7640]

Damn, meditation and selflessness just got a lot weirder...

[@counsela9240]

Sam is cool asf!

[@michaelpond813]

Sam should debate trump.

[@schwerpunkt7687]

Cross-dominant lefty, can confirm 👌

[@slmille4]

Iain: Let me tell you in what ways the right hemisphere is underappreciated. Sam: Ok but first let me talk about my pet theory for 20 minutes.

[@dannywest8843]

I think it's a pad tactic to get the non-YT version to be the place of most guest substance, but who knows. I don't care much either way, I think of these as conversations I'm privy to more than programs to entertain me or educate me, but that's a lazy guess beyond the self-indulgent obvious.

[@kriswilson5472]

I am also a subscriber but find it easier to listen to Sam’s podcasts on KZbin. Why? I am listening to him at some odd hours of the morning in bed, I reach for my cell rather than my computer, and fall asleep again.

[@godisbollocks]

A PhD in neuroscience grants him a free pass to blab endlessly on this particular topic, regardless of the fact that it's his own podcast. He has more than earned an authoritative opinion in this realm.

[@yoganandavalle]

pet theory???!!!, I bet you didn't understand a thing about it.

[@CNinjaa]

I wonder... have there been conjoined twins that share or interact with areas of the brain common to both?

[@kenhiett5266]

I'm highly critical of Sam's elementary interpretation of politics, but this conversation is definitely in his wheelhouse. Deconstruction and reduction is where Sam shines.

[@WorldSurvivalist]

Sounds like an elementary approach to political conversation and interpretation you have.

[@jejo63660]

“Sam makes sense and is clear headed in every area of life, minus this one area where he’s completely clueless. I have no idea why he’s so biased in this area and completely clearheaded everywhere else. He’s definitely the one with the bias. Not me.”

[@kenhiett5266]

@@WorldSurvivalist You figured all that out from one short sentence of criticism? I've been following Sam's work for years as he's delved into a litany of different issues. Therefore, I have a solid foundation of data to base my criticism and subsequent praises upon. You however have no such foundation to base your claim. Your assumptive nature is noted.

[@kenhiett5266]

@@jejo63660 You were quoting someone, but it definitely wasn't me. If you think that quote is synonymous with my op, your inability to delineate details beyond a low resolution understanding of reality is on full display.

[@1DangerMouse1]

So you still believe Trump is playing 4D chess? Bwahahahaha!

[@danandbarbhendricks2429]

Too bad Gilchrist wasn’t able to lay out his perspective. Only a passing piece of his brilliant views was shared. Might have helped for Harris to listen and questioned.

[@siegfriedwolf739]

SAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM

[@sindrapeterssonarskold4386]

This was a very frustrating episode. Brilliant guest, high expectations, but it felt like the two people weren’t pulling in the same direction. The result was fragmented and difficult to follow. Sorry.

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

The brain can't ever understand itself. So good luck!

[@LowenKM]

Terrific stuff, though surprised that McGilchrist keeps sorta 'tap-dancing' around Harris' point, and the obviously 'yuge' implications of Sperry's split brain research... that we basically house two *_different_* POV, aka two different 'personalities', each with its own desires (and if so, how should our Conscious Self 'relate' to our mental 'Roommate')?!

[@phillg27288]

I so missed the non political content of Sam. Love you man 💓💗💌

[@JD..........]

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