Thank you! Very much and looking forward about the next post digging more on the three areas (and how we could scape this mass psychosis). If you dont know it yet, there is a book called the alphabet vs the goddess, which also touches on this topic (the thesis is that language, particulrly the alphabet changed human neurological function). And i think you would also enjoy the work of Ivan Illich!
Dr Vernon Coleman writes: "Just a decade or two ago everything was legal unless it was specifically prohibited. Today, the situation has been pretty much reversed; today, we are moving towards a position where everything is prohibited unless it is specifically allowed." (https://dailyexpose.uk/2021/12/06/boiling-frog-syndrome/) This is exactly the stance of the left hemisphere - control everything and only allow things that are under administration.
Thank you for this fascinating exploration, Winston. I know the left-right brain dichotomy has fallen into disrepute in recent years, but I still think there are valuable lessons to be learned and understand there is scientific validity to aspects of that model.
You may enjoy Chris Niebauer’s “No Self, No Problem,” in which he writes:
“In the same way that the left brain is categorical, the right brain takes a more global approach to what it perceives. Rather than dividing things into categories and making judgments that separate the world, the right brain gives attention to the whole scene and processes the world as a continuum. Whereas the attention of the left brain is focused and narrow, the right brain is broad, vigilant, and attends to the big picture. Whereas the left brain focuses on the local elements, the right brain processes the global form that the elements create. The left brain is sequential, separating time into ‘before that’ or ‘after this,’ while the right brain is focused on the immediacy of the present moment.”
I'm not sure the left-right brain dichotomy, as McGilchrist and others who have done split brain studies, has fallen into disrepute. What you might be referring to is a pop-psychology notion of the left/right brain, something similar to the lizard brain/smart brain dichotomy, or the triune-brain model - all of these were overly simplistic, cartoonish, and did not appreciate the extreme connectivity and integration of the entire brain (colleagues and I in years past would reference the brain in terms of the triune model, but never so now with a much more sophisticated understanding of the connectome and what we now call 'modes' of brain activity).
Nevertheless if you know of studies that dispute the fundamental differences between the hemispheres as detailed by the likes of McGilchrist I'd love to know about them.
And I think we need to understand that even in the case of complete transection of the corpus callosum so both hemispheres are essentially cut off from one another (and the linkage has more to do with each hemisphere's ability to suppress each other, which is interesting) that there is observed very different modes of 'being' in the world, but still there remains a single consciousness - i.e. it's not as if we have two people in our heads (although some people can act like that lol). And I've seen pop psychology articles take the left/right dichotomy to mean we have two separate consciousnesses - if this is what is in disrepute, then I agree.
Thank you again for a thought provoking article,very well said.
Nice mate
Thank you! Very much and looking forward about the next post digging more on the three areas (and how we could scape this mass psychosis). If you dont know it yet, there is a book called the alphabet vs the goddess, which also touches on this topic (the thesis is that language, particulrly the alphabet changed human neurological function). And i think you would also enjoy the work of Ivan Illich!
Thanks for the lead Irene I'll check it out.
This is absolutely brilliant!!! 🙌 🙌 🙌
I second Dr Toby; it is excellent.
Dr Vernon Coleman writes: "Just a decade or two ago everything was legal unless it was specifically prohibited. Today, the situation has been pretty much reversed; today, we are moving towards a position where everything is prohibited unless it is specifically allowed." (https://dailyexpose.uk/2021/12/06/boiling-frog-syndrome/) This is exactly the stance of the left hemisphere - control everything and only allow things that are under administration.
Thank you for this fascinating exploration, Winston. I know the left-right brain dichotomy has fallen into disrepute in recent years, but I still think there are valuable lessons to be learned and understand there is scientific validity to aspects of that model.
You may enjoy Chris Niebauer’s “No Self, No Problem,” in which he writes:
“In the same way that the left brain is categorical, the right brain takes a more global approach to what it perceives. Rather than dividing things into categories and making judgments that separate the world, the right brain gives attention to the whole scene and processes the world as a continuum. Whereas the attention of the left brain is focused and narrow, the right brain is broad, vigilant, and attends to the big picture. Whereas the left brain focuses on the local elements, the right brain processes the global form that the elements create. The left brain is sequential, separating time into ‘before that’ or ‘after this,’ while the right brain is focused on the immediacy of the present moment.”
I'm not sure the left-right brain dichotomy, as McGilchrist and others who have done split brain studies, has fallen into disrepute. What you might be referring to is a pop-psychology notion of the left/right brain, something similar to the lizard brain/smart brain dichotomy, or the triune-brain model - all of these were overly simplistic, cartoonish, and did not appreciate the extreme connectivity and integration of the entire brain (colleagues and I in years past would reference the brain in terms of the triune model, but never so now with a much more sophisticated understanding of the connectome and what we now call 'modes' of brain activity).
Nevertheless if you know of studies that dispute the fundamental differences between the hemispheres as detailed by the likes of McGilchrist I'd love to know about them.
And I think we need to understand that even in the case of complete transection of the corpus callosum so both hemispheres are essentially cut off from one another (and the linkage has more to do with each hemisphere's ability to suppress each other, which is interesting) that there is observed very different modes of 'being' in the world, but still there remains a single consciousness - i.e. it's not as if we have two people in our heads (although some people can act like that lol). And I've seen pop psychology articles take the left/right dichotomy to mean we have two separate consciousnesses - if this is what is in disrepute, then I agree.
As for Niebauer's summary, I'd agree, and have said much the same here https://escapingmasspsychosis.substack.com/p/the-divided-brain in my introduction to McGilchrist's work.
Maybe it’s more the idea of “left-brained” versus “right-brained” people that is considered a myth by many (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/left-brain-right-brain and https://www.verywellmind.com/left-brain-vs-right-brain-2795005), although some feel it’s still a valid paradigm (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/right-brainleft-brain-right-2017082512222). Certainly, the biological division of responsibilities is substantiated by scientific evidence and is not in dispute. Oliver Sacks has written about individuals with damage to different sides of the brain and how their behavior/perceptions were affected accordingly.
Thank you for elucidating McGilchrist’s research—I’ve tabbed off your article for later reading.
Yes the idea of left- or right-brained people, as a definitive category, is the pop psych that's incorrect.
Yes, none of this is a quick read.
Needs a brain, hah!
😆
Excellent piece Winston. Needs more sharing and traction. Will do my part.
If you expand the analogy out into the Universe it would be a good idea also to keep away from those places where physics lies, black holes.