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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Matter with Things | 4/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matter_with_Things | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T08:54:38.169975+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Criticism == Writing in the Literary Review in April 2022, philosopher and cultural critic Raymond Tallis states that the author "offers wide-ranging, indeed world-ranging, investigations ultimately anchored to the arguments he advanced in his earlier book." However, Tallis is not convinced by the author's thesis, and raises several objections. He is of the opinion that the "digression-rich explorations are welcome oases after the densely referenced neuroscience. They would be more refreshing if they did not always lead back to his twin obsessions with the naughty left hemisphere – that arrogant know-nothing know-all – and the saintly right hemisphere." The reviewer is "sympathetic" to some of the author's views. However, he is not convinced that "if the hegemony of the left hemisphere remains unchallenged, Western civilisation will collapse," and he concludes that "[w]hile The Matter with Things offers some interesting insights into our nature and the world in which we find ourselves, they are devalued by being subordinated to what ironically seems a rather reductionist critique of reductionism." Theologian Andrew Louth also reviewed The Matter with Things for the Los Angeles Review of Books on 8 January 2023. Louth writes that "McGilchrist's chief argument is that, over the last three and a half centuries, we have developed a worldview that draws almost entirely on the propensities of the LH side of the brain, ignoring for the most part the contribution of the RH side. This means that our apprehension of the world focuses largely on the particular, with a view to controlling and manipulating it. It is driven by a search for certainty, which is achieved by a kind of 'divide and rule' strategy, favoring the fragmentary and all that can be measured and analyzed, while ignoring or deeming 'subjective' all that which cannot be subjected to this regime." Louth is concerned about the manner of McGilchrist's presentation, writing that "Besides his strictly scientific learning, he is a man of wide and deep reading who supports his case by appeal to philosophers and poets, as well as scientists, especially physicists, reflecting on the implications of their discoveries. I felt, however, that his appeal for their support amounted too often to quotations and too little to real engagement with their thought." He notes, for example in the treatment of Plato, that "the trouble with such overarching accounts is that they cut too many corners and run the risk of misrepresentation," and he also has concerns about McGilchrist's treatment of the section on paradox. Louth concludes that "the case [McGilchrist] is making ... is not unheard of: it coincides with all-too-common laments about modernity, pointing to the reign of quantity, the rise of individualism, the abandonment of tradition — opinions easily dismissed by those who pride themselves on the achievements of modernity. Perhaps it is to these 'cultured despisers' that McGilchrist's case is directed — a [right hemisphere (RH)] case against the hegemony of the [left hemisphere (LH)]." He states that "this book is almost unique in combining extensive scientific expertise with learning characteristic of the humanities, a sensitivity to language, and an appeal to poetry as the ultimate language of truth. McGilchrist sounds like someone who knows of what he speaks. [The] RH, he tells us, is disposed to pessimism, but this book gives grounds for at least a cautious optimism, amounting to 'good thoughts in bad times.'"
== See also == Bicameral mentality: A related theory by Julian Jaynes based in communication between the brain hemispheres Disenchantment Lateralization of brain function Modernism and postmodernism Panpsychism Philosophy of mind Simulacra and Simulation: A book by Jean Baudrillard Sociocultural evolution Societal collapse
== Notes ==
== Further reading == Dreher, Rod (16 January 2023). "Maybe Our Culture Is Literally Crazy". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
== External links == Channel McGilchrist web site
=== Interviews === McGilchrist, Iain (16 November 2021). "What is 'the matter with things'? In conversation with Iain McGilchrist" (Audio podcast). Interviewed by Nick Spencer. Theos. Retrieved 16 May 2022. McGilchrist, Iain (April 2022). "Interview with Iain McGilchrist, Part 1" (Video). Interviewed by Natalia Vorontsova. Essentia Foundation. Retrieved 16 May 2022. McGilchrist, Iain (May 2022). "Interview with Iain McGilchrist, Part 2" (Video). Interviewed by Natalia Vorontsova. Essentia Foundation. Retrieved 16 May 2022.