How Our Brains Turned Fools Woke – Dr. Iain McGilchrist

Here are 20 key points from the video "How Our Brains Turned Fools Woke" - Dr. Iain McGilchrist:

1. The left hemisphere of the brain has become dominant over the right hemisphere.
2. This has led to a more narrow, literal, and reductive way of thinking.
3. There is a loss of nuance, context, and empathy as a result.

4. This has contributed to the rise of rigid ideological positions that are resistant to opposing views.
5. The left hemisphere is associated with categorization, abstraction, and literal interpretation.
6. The right hemisphere is associated with holistic, contextual, and metaphorical thinking.
7. Damage to the right hemisphere leads to a loss of the "big picture" and an inability to see context.
8. Damage to the left hemisphere leads to a loss of language and logical reasoning abilities.
9. The left hemisphere's dominance has resulted in a focus on parts over wholes.
10. This has manifested in a tendency towards reductionism and a loss of appreciation for complexity.
11. The left hemisphere is associated with a sense of certainty, while the right hemisphere is associated with uncertainty and doubt.

12. The left hemisphere's dominance has contributed to the rise of ideological rigidity and intolerance of opposing views.
13. This shift in brain function has paralleled the rise of "woke" ideology in modern society.
14. The video suggests that restoring the balance between the left and right hemispheres could help address these societal issues.
15. Dr. Iain McGilchrist, the speaker in the video, is a psychiatrist and author who has studied the differences between the brain's hemispheres.

16. He argues that the left hemisphere's dominance has led to a loss of nuance, context, and empathy in modern discourse.
17. McGilchrist suggests that this neurological shift has contributed to the polarization and intolerance seen in contemporary society.
18. The video explores how the brain's evolution has shaped human cognition and behavior in ways that have profound societal implications.

19. It suggests that a better understanding of the brain's hemispheric differences could help address the challenges facing modern society.
20. The video is part of a broader discussion around the "metacrisis" - the interconnected social, political, and environmental crises facing the world today.

For more from Ian Gilchrist, you may want to check out his book wehre he outlines why is the brain divided. The difference between right and left hemispheres has been puzzled over for centuries.

Drawing upon a vast body of brain research, the renowned psychiatrist, author, and thinker Iain McGilchrist reveals that the difference between the two sides is profound—two whole, coherent, but incompatible ways of experiencing the world. The detail-oriented left hemisphere prefers mechanisms to living things and is inclined to self-interest, while the right hemisphere has greater breadth, flexibility, and generosity.