Iain McGilchrist and Stephen Blackwood: The Unfolding of Life and Thought

In Part II of their conversation, Stephen Blackwood and Iain McGilchrist discuss questions of theology, science, and philosophy, including: the shared nature of human life, revealed anew by the COVID-19 lockdowns; 'unfolding' as a metaphor for actualization; freedom, necessity, and reason; and the fundamental role of the humanities in a thriving culture.

2:37 - Observations of COVID-19 and its social effects
10:55 - Balance between communitarianism and individualism
14:24 - Unfolding and actualization
18:08 - The freedom of unfolding and its intrinsic necessity
24:27 - Unfolding in relation to otherness
31:54 - Consciousness as inherent in matter
39:00 - Meaning as an encounter
47:00 - Rationality vs reason; doing wrapped up in being
53:13 - McGilchrist's early influences
57:57 - Why do we need the humanities? And their current state.
1:11:20 - New intellectual communities

In their discussion of the humanities they discuss the following article by Dr Steven Pinker and Dr McGilchrist's response:

Dr Pinker's article
https://newrepublic.com/article/11412...

Dr McGilchrist's response
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/c...

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Ralston College Short Courses
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