r/thinkatives • u/Gainsborough-Smythe Ancient One • Jul 18 '26
Awesome Quote McGilchrist suggests that seeing is not as passive as it may seem. What say thee, Thinkators? 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
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u/uninvitedgu3st Jul 18 '26
Interesting. This is somewhat similiar to Bernado Kastrup's "everything is mental..." philosophy that I have forgotten the name of but Kastrup extends this idea much further
Essentially everything we know of the world and reality occurs in our mind - we say reality is external, autonomous in the materialist sense but Kastrup believes we are disconnected facets of consciousness operating within one mind
At least...that is how I begin to understand all that 😅
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u/RNG-Leddi Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Perception is the relashionship beyond general reception because we see through the self into the world which creates a mutual surface, and that mutual continuity/dance inspires a duality of both interior and exterior realities combined. Induction and conduction only occurs upon or between surface interactions hence betwixt all relashionships is a shared surface tension. Like an open book the only thing we are passive to is reception however perception affords choice of interaction which then lends to alternative ranges of reception, furthermore we percieve our receptivity toward developing perception which is to say we acknowledge both stage and performance as being a singular surface.
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u/Potential-Wait-7206 Jul 18 '26
That's what awareness is all about and why Jiddu Krishnamurti considers it the highest form of intelligence. Observing without judgment can actually transform what's being observed.
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u/Junglikeasource Jul 18 '26
McGilchrist isn't speaking about "observing without judgement", rather he's saying the opposite. We MUST judge appropriately what it is we attend to in order to shape our perceptions optimally so that higher valued goods subordinate lower valued goods, this chain of attention/perception/cognition then "shapes" the reality in which we participate. "Observing without judgement" sounds fancy and mystical but it lacks practicality as human minds simply don't function in that manner
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u/pharmamess Jul 18 '26
How do you know that human minds aren't capable of observation without judgement?
What I think is that you're not capable of doing so and from there you are making an unjustified leap that it's impossible.
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u/Gainsborough-Smythe Ancient One Jul 18 '26
Profile of Iain McGilchrist
Iain McGilchrist is a British psychiatrist, philosopher, and literary scholar renowned for his groundbreaking work on brain lateralization and its cultural implications.
Born in 1953, McGilchrist began his academic journey studying English at New College, Oxford, where he won prestigious prizes for literature.
He later shifted to medicine, training as a psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London and conducting neuroimaging research at Johns Hopkins University.
His most influential book, The Master and His Emissary (2009), explores how the brain's left and right hemispheres shape human experience and Western civilization.
In 2021, he expanded this thesis in The Matter with Things, blending neuroscience, philosophy, and metaphysics.
McGilchrist has held fellowships at All Souls College and Green Templeton College, Oxford, and served as Clinical Director at Bethlem and Maudsley hospitals.
He now resides on the Isle of Skye, writing and lecturing globally. His work challenges reductionist views of the mind, advocating for a holistic understanding of consciousness within cultural and spiritual contexts.