I loved John Borthwick's recent distillation of Ian McGilchrist's ideas:
- I loved John Borthwick's recent distillation of Ian McGilchrist's ideas:
- "The left and right brain essentially create different worldviews.
- The left hemisphere begins with parts, and any idea of the whole is built up from those parts.
- By contrast, the right hemisphere begins with the whole and any 'parts' are just aspects of the whole that have been artificially decontextualised.
- This follows directly from differences in each hemisphere's modes of attending.
- Seeing the whole is not the same as cataloging the sum of the parts.
- Apprehending is different to comprehending. "
- The left brain is the Saruman; the right brain is the Radagast.
- Claude's riff unpacking 'Apprehending vs comprehending':
- "Comprehending is the left hemisphere's mode - it's analytical, sequential, and builds understanding piece by piece. It literally means 'to grasp together'–taking separate parts and assembling them into a whole. This is the Saruman way: breaking down problems, identifying components, creating step-by-step plans, building cathedrals brick by brick. It's about grasping and controlling.
- Apprehending is the right hemisphere's mode–it's immediate, holistic, and grasps the whole all at once. It means 'to take hold of' in a more direct, intuitive way. This is the Radagast way: sensing the entire system, feeling the emergent patterns, understanding through presence rather than analysis. It's about receiving and recognizing."