The Master and his Emissary by Iain McGilchrist
The Master and his
Emissary
The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Iain
McGilchrist
An understanding of the effects
of right and left brain dominance is an important
area of study with far reaching social relevance and
has long been a part of the Healing Diets course
offered here at the School of Natural Medicine. This
book, written by Iain McGilchrist, is a fantastic
exploration of left and right brain ‘perspective’,
recent brain research, and a moving portrayal of
current left brain dominance in society and it’s
effects in creating the remarkably divided world that
we live in.
This book is a powerful read and of tremendous
importance to anyone seeking understanding of the
world that we live in and how to navigate
improvements in quality of life for ourselves and
others. Here is the blurb from the inner cover of the
book.
Why is the brain
divided? Despite much research and speculation,
neurologists have struggled to make sense of
hemisphere differences, or of their impact on human
thought and experience.
In this remarkable and absorbing book, Iain
McGilchrist argues that the two hemispheres have not
merely different skills, but wholly different
perspectives on the world. Drawing on a vast body of
recent brain research, illustrated with fascinating
case material he suggests that the left hemisphere is
designed to exploit the world effectively, but is
narrow in focus and prizes theory over experience. It
prefers mechanisms to living things, ignores whatever
is not explicit, lacks empathy, and is unreasonably
certain of itself. By contrast, the right hemisphere
has a much broader, more generous understanding of
the world, but lacks the certainty to counter this
onslaught, because what it knows is more subtle and
many-faceted.
It is vital that the two hemispheres work together,
but in Western culture there is evidence of a power
struggle, with the left hemisphere becoming
increasingly dominant. The result is a dehumanised
society, where a rigid and bureaucratic mentality,
obsessed with structure and mechanism, holds sway, at
huge cost to human happiness and the world around us.
Throughout the book, McGilchrist focuses on the
influence of our divided brains, both for us as
individuals, and for our society, including the
impact on the history of philosophy, and the origins
of music and language. In the second part of the book
he takes the reader on a journey through Western
history and culture, demonstrating shifts in thought
and belief that reflect his argument with examples
from Aeschylus to Magritte.
This is a genuine tour de force that deserves not
only critical acclaim but a wide and enthusiastic
readership.
