John Anderson Media | Understanding the Brain, Society, and the Meaning of Life | Iain McGilchrist @JohnAndersonMedia | Uploaded June 2024 | Updated October 2024, 10 hours ago.
In this interview, John speaks with Iain McGilchrist about the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and their impact on our perception and interaction with the world. Iain explains that the left hemisphere focuses on details and immediate tasks, while the right hemisphere maintains a broad, vigilant awareness of the environment. He discusses how modern society overemphasizes the left hemisphere's functions, leading to a loss of meaning, beauty, and wisdom.
Iain highlights the negative consequences of this imbalance, such as bureaucratic thinking and the decline of individual freedoms. He stresses the importance of rediscovering a sense of the sacred, connecting with nature, and fostering compassionate relationships to restore balance and fulfillment in life. The interview concludes with Iain emphasizing that genuine happiness comes from these connections rather than material acquisitions, offering a profound insight into leading a meaningful life.
Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has many other prestigious scholarly associations. He is the author of The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, and his latest book is The Matter with Things.
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00:00 Intro
01:36 The Hemispheres of the Brain
06:02 Our Use of the Brain
13:19 Our Societal Decline
18:57 A Victimhood Mentality
22:06 What is Reason?
27:06 The Mentality of the Media
31:22 Freedom of Speech
36:43 The Problem With Science
45:08 A Loss of Objectivity
51:14 Meaning in Life
55:30 Outro
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Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.
John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate."
If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here: youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww?sub_confirmation=1
And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/
Follow John on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnAndersonAC
Follow John on Facebook: facebook.com/johnandersonac
Follow John on Instagram: instagram.com/johnandersonac
Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/
Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/
Podcast: https://johnanderson.net.au/podcasts/
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Iain McGilchrist's Socials:
facebook.com/DrIainMcGilchrist
twitter.com/dr_mcgilchrist
youtube.com/channel/UCW0LCKUFTTtgitH33Mx6u-A
linkedin.com/in/dr-iain-mcgilchrist-b931aa1a2/?originalSubdomain=uk
In this interview, John speaks with Iain McGilchrist about the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and their impact on our perception and interaction with the world. Iain explains that the left hemisphere focuses on details and immediate tasks, while the right hemisphere maintains a broad, vigilant awareness of the environment. He discusses how modern society overemphasizes the left hemisphere's functions, leading to a loss of meaning, beauty, and wisdom.
Iain highlights the negative consequences of this imbalance, such as bureaucratic thinking and the decline of individual freedoms. He stresses the importance of rediscovering a sense of the sacred, connecting with nature, and fostering compassionate relationships to restore balance and fulfillment in life. The interview concludes with Iain emphasizing that genuine happiness comes from these connections rather than material acquisitions, offering a profound insight into leading a meaningful life.
Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has many other prestigious scholarly associations. He is the author of The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, and his latest book is The Matter with Things.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:36 The Hemispheres of the Brain
06:02 Our Use of the Brain
13:19 Our Societal Decline
18:57 A Victimhood Mentality
22:06 What is Reason?
27:06 The Mentality of the Media
31:22 Freedom of Speech
36:43 The Problem With Science
45:08 A Loss of Objectivity
51:14 Meaning in Life
55:30 Outro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.
John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate."
If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here: youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww?sub_confirmation=1
And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/
Follow John on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnAndersonAC
Follow John on Facebook: facebook.com/johnandersonac
Follow John on Instagram: instagram.com/johnandersonac
Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/
Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/
Podcast: https://johnanderson.net.au/podcasts/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iain McGilchrist's Socials:
facebook.com/DrIainMcGilchrist
twitter.com/dr_mcgilchrist
youtube.com/channel/UCW0LCKUFTTtgitH33Mx6u-A
linkedin.com/in/dr-iain-mcgilchrist-b931aa1a2/?originalSubdomain=uk
