Wonderful, short dialogue between Iain McGilchrist and Hilary Lawson recorded at the spring 2023 “How The Light Gets In” in Hay on Wye earlier this year. Seen and listened to (and talked with) them both at previous HTLGI’s but was unable to attend this year’s. So glad this 17 minutes was recorded for us all.
In Conversation: Iain McGilchrist and Hilary Lawson – Philosophy of our Time (iai)
So good I don’t want to summarise it, but wonderful honest confluence of what it is that we “know” and the idea of something “sacred” and real beyond naïve – objective reductionist – realism. Wonderful.
Left or right brain, we must be sceptical, but not to the point of paralysis.
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Post Notes:
I should add – “The Sacred” has already become the core new issue in McGilchrist’s recent TMWT, over and above his original hemispheric thesis in TMAHE. I pulled “The Sacred” out of this very explicitly a year ago. As Iain notes early in the dialogue above (and has acknowledged in many conversations since publication) he was advised by his scientific “friends” NOT to include this chapter, but of course chose to retain it precisely because of its central significance. As he says, most pushback has come from Christians, not scientists.
And from the same event above, the 30 minute dialogue between Iain McGilchrist and Rowan Williams. They’ve interacted many times before – on the nature of reality, as the scientist said to the archbishop – also worth a listen, especially if you’re sceptical of the possible presence (or not) of a (Christian) God-shaped hole in proceedings.
Only last week I was musing on “Where Next with Iain McGilchrist?“
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Pity that one with Rowan is paywalled; two of my favourite people. Really enjoying TMWT
Ah yes, I tend to forget I’m a member as a result of joining previous paid events. FWIW it’s not their best dialogue, a bit rambling and not quite hitting the “nature of reality” brief.