Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
"Consciousness is not a bird, hovering and detached, but a tree, its roots deep inside us." I loved this metaphor and the author's skilled unveiling of the right hemisphere's role in understanding context, empathy, and social connectedness. He shows how much we need the right hemisphere to live as "skilled participants in the life of the world" rather than detached analysts, which is the skew favored by the left hemisphere. This is one of the most important books I've read.
I am overwhelmed with admiration for this groundbreaking book. McGilchrist has went deeper and further into the implications of the neurologically divided human brain than anyone I am aware of. The scope is vast and at first glance quite intimidating. Covering not just neurology, pathology, and psychology, but on to philosophy, poetry, and mythology. I was swept along at every turn, yet was particularly astute when he begins his discourse on the consequences of seeing things through the particular and often “selfish” lenses of each brain hemisphere. The teeter-totter of brain dominance in culture through the ages and ironically hemispheres of the planet.
I’ve so often personally struggled with the meaning or non-meaning of thinking about things in terms of dualities. Analytical vs poetical. Scientific vs spiritual. Truth vs coexisting contradictions. All of these concepts and many more are brought into a full illumination, albeit not with absolute certainty but rather a deep appreciation for their necessary contrast.
A truly rich exploration of man and his embodied predicament. Like most things in this universe there is some esoteric balance that wavers in the distant horizon. Perhaps a Fata Morgana, but one worth working toward.
I’ve so often personally struggled with the meaning or non-meaning of thinking about things in terms of dualities. Analytical vs poetical. Scientific vs spiritual. Truth vs coexisting contradictions. All of these concepts and many more are brought into a full illumination, albeit not with absolute certainty but rather a deep appreciation for their necessary contrast.
A truly rich exploration of man and his embodied predicament. Like most things in this universe there is some esoteric balance that wavers in the distant horizon. Perhaps a Fata Morgana, but one worth working toward.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Yes
Yes, thank you. Somewhat repetitive and long-winded, but then who amongst is not prone to some degree of repetitiveness and long-windedness from time to time?
Yes, thank you. Somewhat repetitive and long-winded, but then who amongst is not prone to some degree of repetitiveness and long-windedness from time to time?
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The Master and His Emissary is a brilliant, ambitious exploration of the intersection between brain laterality and the cultural developments over the millennia. McGilchrist's breadth of knowledge reveals (not to mention the approximately 150 pages of footnotes) his careful study and passion for this topic. I was overwhelmed by the clarity of his presentation and the implications for what he wrote about. For anyone interested in neuroscience, this is a must read.