Details Books In Pursuance Of The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Original Title: | The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World |
ISBN: | 030014878X (ISBN13: 9780300148787) |
Edition Language: | English |
Literary Awards: | Best Book of Ideas Prize Nominee (2010) |
Iain McGilchrist
Hardcover | Pages: 608 pages Rating: 4.3 | 1380 Users | 172 Reviews
Description To Books The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Why is the brain divided? The difference between right & left hemispheres has been puzzled over for centuries. In a book of unprecedented scope, McGilchrist draws on a vast body of recent brain research, illustrated with case histories, to reveal that the difference is profound—not just this or that function, but two whole, coherent, but incompatible ways of experiencing the world. The left hemisphere is detail oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things & is inclined to self-interest. The right hemisphere has greater breadth, flexibility & generosity. This division helps explain the origins of music & language, & casts new light on the history of philosophy, as well as on some mental illnesses. The 2nd part of the book takes a journey thru the history of Western culture, illustrating the tension between these two worlds as revealed in the thought & belief of thinkers & artists, from Aeschylus to Magritte. He argues that, despite its inferior grasp of reality, the left hemisphere is increasingly taking precedence in the modern world, with potentially disastrous consequences.List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Asymmetry and the brain --
What do the two hemispheres 'do'? --
Language, truth and music --
The nature of the two worlds --
The primacy of the right hemisphere --
The triumph of the left hemisphere --
Imitation and the evolution of culture --
The ancient world --
The Renaissance and the Reformation --
The Enlightenment --
Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution --
The modern and post-modern worlds
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Declare Based On Books The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Title | : | The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World |
Author | : | Iain McGilchrist |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 608 pages |
Published | : | December 15th 2009 by Yale University Press (first published October 30th 2009) |
Categories | : | Psychology. Science. Nonfiction. Philosophy. History. Biology. Neuroscience |
Rating Based On Books The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
Ratings: 4.3 From 1380 Users | 172 ReviewsWrite-Up Based On Books The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
I quit at 46% (which is actually 2/3 of the way through as the ebook finished at 68%) and watched the crib notesVery well written, thoroughly researched, but I found it a drag read.This is an ambitious work, reminiscent of Hegel's Phenomenology of Mind, but without the happy ending. The first half is a review to date of research in the hemispherical differentiation of the human brain. The second half is a survey of Western history since Homer, told in terms of presumed shifts of hemispherical dominance. One is also reminded of C.G. Jung's Psychological Types, another survey of Western history related to psychological theory, focused primarily on the history of ideas.
This book is a key element in understanding the modern milieu in which our species has become 1/10th of our ordinarily accessible intelligence, and think ourselves deities. McGilchrist has done a promethean task; ironically, too he has sketched with incredible insight and detail the nature of the hemispheres as their are peculiarly organized for producing distinct worlds, and what happens when the dominant twin... attempts to usurp sovereignty. Essentially, cognitive, relational, social,
This book had a lot of potential. Clearly other people feel as if it reached it potential. I am in the minority of people who rated fewer than 5 stars, but I was so happy to reach the end. The introduction spent pages and pages telling me what I should think. Just show me the data and the methods by which the data was acquired. He went on and on... and on about how it's not respectable to study hemispheric differences. This book was written in 2009. Students and highly respected professors
Part 1 is great and would get 4 stars on its own, but I'm left wishing I hadn't invested so much time reading part 2. The principal thesis of the book is a defense of the right brain against the mainstream view of it as a flaky, playful, and less competent portion of the brain. Part 1 does this on the grounds of the latest science, which provides fascinating revelations. For example, a right-brain stroke is more debilitating than an equivalent left-brain stroke, and many of common psychiatric
A long slow read for me. McGilchrist seems to be one of those people who really does have a brain the size of a planet - few people could be a consultant psychiatrist, have done scientific research at John Hopkins and taught English at Oxford. His wide spanning knowledge shows in this book where he flows effortlessly between discussions about the structure of the brain, philosophy, literature, poetry, art and history. This is intellectually impressive stuff.This is a disturbing book, well argued
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