A short summary of The Matter with Things

In The Matter with Things, Iain McGilchrist argues that the two hemispheres (halves) of our brain offer distinct perspectives on the world, and that modern society’s overreliance on the left hemisphere’s analytical and mechanistic approach is leading to a distorted understanding of reality, of “what is”.

He posits that the right hemisphere is dominant for a wide range of foundational functions: holistic perception, intuition, social and emotional intelligence, creativity, and a sense of the sacred. While the left hemisphere excels at manipulating and categorizing information (naming, labeling, pidgeonholing), it lacks the right hemisphere’s capacity for embodied experience, contextual understanding, and appreciation of nuance. Pretty important stuff.

Now comes the part where I write that, contrary to popular academic belief, the functional differences between the two hemispheres have not been “debunked” after the pop psychology wave about the left/right brain divide subsided. What do we find in its wake? What do the people conclude that actually work with/take care of/are split-brain patients, people on extreme ends of the schizoid/autistic spectrum, those who suffered hemisphere strokes, and countless others that McGilchrist describes and cites in his book?

Well, the conclusion is that the divide between the hemispheres is real, but contrary to the pop psychology account, it is not about what the hemispheres do differently (they inhibit each other and work together constantly) but rather in how they do things. And this how runs deep. Roger W. Sperry, who won a Nobel Prize for his celebrated work on (and with) split-brain patients, wrote in 1974 that each hemisphere is

indeed a conscious system in its own right, perceiving, thinking, remembering, reasoning, willing, and emoting, all at a characteristically human level, and … both the left and the right hemisphere may be conscious simultaneously in different, even in mutually conflicting, mental experiences that run along in parallel¹

Indeed, the astounding and inescapable conclusion in TMWT some 50 years later is that each hemisphere indeed is capable of upholding consciousness on its own, and has its own self-consistent worldview.

Fear not! McGilchrist supports these claims with extensive evidence from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and the arts.² He explores how the left hemisphere’s focus on fragmentation and control manifests in various societal issues, including the rise of scientism, the devaluation of intuition and common sense, the obsession with technology, and the loss of a sense of the sacred and a rapport with Nature (externalized from us by the left hemisphere as “the environment”).

Most of the things dear to us are ultimately mediated by the right hemisphere. Although creativity, truth, value, purpose arise from the interplay between both hemispheres, the contribution of each half is not equal; as research on split-brain patients clearly shows, these phenomena are much more dependent on the right hemisphere than the left one. Indeed, there is a very important underlying asymmetry at play: in understanding the world around us, the right hemisphere provides the initial insights; the left hemisphere then refines and expresses (in a way verbalizes) them; and then, crucially, its conclusions are then returned to the right hemisphere to be re-integrated in the whole context, such that a balanced judgment can be formed.

McGilchrist uses the recurring metaphor of the “Master and his emissary” to illustrate this asymmetric relationship (right-left-right) between the hemispheres.³ The right hemisphere is the Master, providing a grounded and holistic understanding of the world, while the left hemisphere is the emissary, tasked with manipulating and categorizing aspects of the world for specific purposes, but whose intermediate representations and abstractions must ultimately be returned to be integrated by the Master, if balanced action is to be taken, or balanced judgment take place. When the emissary forgets its role and attempts to usurp the Master, assuming the role of a tyrant, the result is a fragmented and distorted view of reality, in which we now find ourselves.

McGilchrist argues that this left hemisphere tyranny is precisely what is happening in modern society, leading to an alienation from Nature, from each other, and from the divine. He stresses the importance of reclaiming the right hemisphere’s perspective in order to regain a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection with the world. Our Western world is in need of a reevaluation of intuition, imagination, and a sense of the sacred. These are not just remnants of a pre-scientific age but essential for a nuanced understanding and more complete of reality.

Go to next post ▤ or ▥ previous post in vault series.