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Dr. Ian McGilchrist Breaks the Light-O-Meter

Oct 22, 2025

Guest

Ian McGilchrist

Dr. Ian McGilchrist, psychiatrist, philosopher and neuroscientist behind The Master and His Emissary, appears with a short bio. He contrasts left- and right-hemisphere ways of attending and explores Enlightenment legacies, relations-before-things, and the limits of reason. He discusses intuition, computers and attention, takes a playful Light-O-Meter test, and reflects on art, faith, and truth as unfolding process.

01:08:42

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ANECDOTE

The Toll Of Writing A Big Book

McGilchrist nearly killed himself writing The Matter With Things, driven by a 'demon' to keep writing without much rest.
He described the project as enormous and warned about obsessive overwork even for meaningful projects.

insights

INSIGHT

Don't Confuse AI With Human Intelligence

Intuition and imagination are essential modes of knowing that have been undervalued by cognitive science and the machine metaphor.
McGilchrist warns comparing humans to machines misrepresents intelligence and sidelines deeper understanding.

insights

INSIGHT

Big Truths Embrace Paradox

Big truths often admit their opposites; the Enlightenment's excluded-middle thinking missed this and simplified complex reality.
Modern science and spirituality both show that paradox and complementary truths matter.

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Significance of the Enlightenment

02:22 • 1min

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America as Enlightenment's Child

03:42 • 4min

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Projects, Writing and Personal Process

07:25 • 3min

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Hemispheres: Different Worlds of Experience

10:51 • 4min

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Why Intuition Was Dismissed

15:00 • 2min

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Enlightenment, Power and Excluded Middles

17:19 • 3min

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Computers, Autism and Attention

Relations Before Things

28:00 • 2min

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Trinity, Unity and Multiplicity

30:00 • 3min

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Reception in Academia and Religion

33:11 • 3min

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Truth as Process and Becoming

36:10 • 4min

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Icons, Matter and Presence

40:15 • 4min

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Limits of Reason and Value of Art

43:58 • 1min

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Emerging Renaissance of Old-World Ideas

45:21 • 5min

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Light-O-Meter Test Introduction

50:43 • 2min

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Responses to the Light-O-Meter

52:19 • 5min

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Test Results and Playful Diagnosis

57:37 • 3min

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Final Reflections on Conversation's Value

01:00:16 • 2min

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Accessing More of McGilchrist's Work

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Montaillou

Cathars and Catholics in a French Village, 1294-1324

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie

This book by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie examines the lives and beliefs of the population of Montaillou, a small village in the Pyrenees, at the beginning of the fourteenth century. It is largely based on the Fournier Register, a set of records from the Inquisition that investigated and attempted to suppress the spread of Catharism in the Ariège region. The work provides a detailed picture of peasant society, including their social structures, sexual practices, religious beliefs, and daily lives. It is a landmark in the genre of microhistory and offers insights into the mentalité of the villagers, their attitudes towards time, space, magic, morality, death, and childhood.

#373

• Mentioned in 76 episodes

The Matter with Things

Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World

Iain Mcgilchrist

In 'The Matter with Things', Iain McGilchrist delves into the neuroscience, epistemology, and metaphysics of the brain's hemispheres and their impact on human perception and understanding. The book is divided into two volumes: 'The Ways to Truth' and 'What Then is True? '. McGilchrist argues that the left hemisphere's dominance has led to a skewed perception of the world, neglecting the vital role of the right hemisphere in integrating science, reason, intuition, and imagination. He explores topics such as attention, perception, judgement, and the nature of reality, including concepts like time, space, consciousness, and the sacred. The book is a call to re-enchant the world and ourselves by recognizing the deeper, more holistic understanding provided by the right hemisphere.

#16705

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

The Waning of the Middle Ages

Also known as The Autumn of the Middle Ages or Autumntide of the Middle Ages

Johan Huizinga

In this book, Huizinga presents a detailed portrait of life in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, focusing on the conventions and customs that reflect the 'autumnal waning' of the Middle Ages. He examines various aspects such as the violent tenor of medieval life, chivalry, courtly love, religious life, and the symbolism that pervaded medieval society. Huizinga argues that the period was marked by cultural exhaustion, pessimism, and nostalgia, rather than the dawn of the Renaissance. The book is based on extensive examples from documents, literature, and artwork of the time and provides insights into the medieval mindset as the Middle Ages transitioned into the Renaissance.

The rape of man and nature

Philip Sherrard

#110

• Mentioned in 164 episodes

The master and his emissary

The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World

Iain McGilchrist

This book argues that the division of the brain into two hemispheres is essential to human existence, allowing for two incompatible versions of the world. The left hemisphere is detail-oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things, and is inclined to self-interest, while the right hemisphere has greater breadth, flexibility, and generosity. McGilchrist takes the reader on a journey through the history of Western culture, illustrating the tension between these two worlds as revealed in the thought and belief of thinkers and artists from ancient to modern times. He argues that the increasing dominance of the left hemisphere in today’s world has potentially disastrous consequences.

#91

• Mentioned in 187 episodes

Dominion

The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy

Matthew Scully

In 'Dominion,' Matthew Scully presents a comprehensive and eloquent case against the mistreatment of animals. The book delves into various aspects of animal suffering, including factory farming, hunting, whaling, and laboratory experiments. Scully challenges the notion that humans have unlimited dominion over animals, as suggested by biblical interpretations, and argues for a moral and compassionate approach to animal treatment. He draws on both religious and scientific perspectives to make his case, emphasizing the importance of empathy and the recognition of animal consciousness and suffering. The book is a call to action for reform and a plea for human benevolence and mercy towards animals.

Dr. Ian McGilchrist, best known for his books “The Matter with Things” (2021) and “The Master and His Emissary” (2009), is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist well known around the world. He comes on today, not only to take the (in)famous Light-O-Meter test, but also to talk about reality, about how we relate to reality, and the old vs new schools of thought.

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--- This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly. ---

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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