Using McGilchrist’s study The Master and His Emissary, Zelko discusses possible neurobiological origins of the tension between holistic and reductive thought, specifically by looking at the structure of the two hemispheres of our brains. The right hemisphere is integrative and holistic, using a gestalt perception. The left hemisphere is more skillful at manipulation; its principle “concern” is utility. Has modern Western culture become a predominantly left hemisphere culture; that is, one concerned primarily with manipulation, acquisition, and rationalization? Do our brains experience subtle biochemical and structural changes over time that shape, and are shaped by, culture?
DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/6164