Yi-Tan Technology Community

The gray goo inside our skulls does more than turn signals from the outside world into images, thoughts and narratives. According to Iain McGilchrist‘s The Master and His Emmisary, our brain’s organization has contributed to the very structure of our society and beliefs about what we know and what we think is possible.

The problem is, the two hemispheres tell two different versions of reality, and the left has pretty much become the Berlusconi of the brain. As a result, we’re often missing half the picture we should be seeing. And that’s just the start of it.

With Iain, let’s discuss:

• How can we get a useful, nuanced understanding of brain function?
• What has this structure done to our ability to comprehend the world? How is this reflected in culture?
• What might we do to correct or compensate? How can we know what we don’t know?

You won’t get through The Master and His Emmisary by Monday, but you will enjoy Iain’s summary here. You might also look at My Stroke of Insight, The Alphabet vs. the Goddess and The Gift — none of which perfectly match Iain’s view, but all of which enrich his philosophical work.