Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Recently on Jonathan Pageau’s The Symbolic World podcast, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist—best known for his work on the divided brain and the philosophical implications of modern thought—reflects on his new role as Chancellor of Ralston College and the deeper reasons that drew him to its mission. Jonathan Pageau, a longtime friend of Ralston College and a renowned Eastern Orthodox icon carver, artist, and cultural commentator, specializes in symbolism, meaning, and the patterns that structure human experience across religion, art, and story.
Together, McGilchrist and Pageau explore the quiet erosion of cultural memory, the dangers of severing science from the humanities, and the loss of symbolic and spiritual literacy in modern education. McGilchrist argues that education risks losing sight of what forms free, creative, and truthful human beings, while Pageau brings a complementary perspective rooted in traditional symbolism and lived meaning.
Ralston College, they suggest, stands not as a mass movement but as a seed: a small, serious community committed to restoring intellectual depth, historical understanding, and the formation of character rather than credentials. Drawing on classical learning, Western civilization’s openness to transcendent truths, and the necessity of embodied wisdom, this discussion examines why genuine cultural renewal has always begun with a few people willing to think deeply and live honestly.
For students, educators, and anyone concerned with the future of culture, this conversation is a call to remember what education is ultimately for—and what is at stake if we forget.
View the full podcast on Jonathan Pageau’s channel: youtube.com/c/JonathanPageau
Recently on Jonathan Pageau’s The Symbolic World podcast, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist—best known for his work on the divided brain and the philosophical implications of modern thought—reflects on his new role as Chancellor of Ralston College and the deeper reasons that drew him to its mission. Jonathan Pageau, a longtime friend of Ralston College and a renowned Eastern Orthodox icon carver, artist, and cultural commentator, specializes in symbolism, meaning, and the patterns that structure human experience across religion, art, and story.
Together, McGilchrist and Pageau explore the quiet erosion of cultural memory, the dangers of severing science from the humanities, and the loss of symbolic and spiritual literacy in modern education. McGilchrist argues that education risks losing sight of what forms free, creative, and truthful human beings, while Pageau brings a complementary perspective rooted in traditional symbolism and lived meaning.
Ralston College, they suggest, stands not as a mass movement but as a seed: a small, serious community committed to restoring intellectual depth, historical understanding, and the formation of character rather than credentials. Drawing on classical learning, Western civilization’s openness to transcendent truths, and the necessity of embodied wisdom, this discussion examines why genuine cultural renewal has always begun with a few people willing to think deeply and live honestly.
For students, educators, and anyone concerned with the future of culture, this conversation is a call to remember what education is ultimately for—and what is at stake if we forget.
View the full podcast on Jonathan Pageau’s channel: youtube.com/c/JonathanPageau
