The True Bio-Individual: Split Brains, Iain McGilchrist, Nietszche and the 'Balancing of the Hemispheres'
A short newsletter post, and this weeks episode
Greetings,
I trust you’re having a nice weekend.
This week's episode, we speak on split-brain patients, and some of the implications of these studies on how we view ourselves.
Of particular interest is the "out of control" left hemisphere theory of Iain McGilchrist. Having almost finished the book (only a little way through at the time of recording), I can say, having had an interest in the implications of this type of thing previously, I found this book truly paradigm-shifting. It’s rare I bother reading these days, but this one was the kind that changes your entire view.
In many ways, I believe we’re really looking at what is going wrong and why from the wrong perspective. I’ve always thought this, influenced by people like Hyatt and others (this is why I prefer scientific explanations as opposed to literature and philosophy for explanations), but this book really drove home the now-obvious neurological reasons for this.
There are profound implications that need to be looked at - these implications essentially decimate so much of how we want to "fix the world" with theories and ideas.
I also introduce into our discussion the paradox of wanting to change yourself by using the left brain when that itself is the worst excess of the left brain.
So what is left?
Physiology. Not going to the gym and doing repetitive movements to adhere to some abstract left-brain standard.
But mindfulness, physiology, art and changing things that are not the domain of the left brain. In this sense, I believe we are powering down the left brain and the destructiveness of the humanoid sense of self. This opens up great energy that is otherwise locked away, sustaining our delusional interactions with the world. When kundalini is spoken of, I believe processes such as this are all tied up with it, and “energy” is bound up in this “sense of self”. Is is a binding contraction.
As McGilchrist says, the left brain itself has expanded in biological size over the last 500 - 600 years, and its excesses have increased in importance in our society. Many in these circles suggest "going to the gym" "just thinking more" "thinking the right things" "arguing online" “winning a culture war” will herald in some great paradigm shift and obliviate the weak from the earth.
However, I, in many ways, have never even been suggesting the same thing. Results yes, but method, not even close. I'm not even speaking the same language as many Nietzscheans or other types online.
From decades of zen practice and bodywork, I’ve had some insight into the true nature of what ails this species. in some ways, Buddhism is a sophisticated brain technology in the guise of a religion. Looking back, that’s why you struggle when you’re new to it - it is in its aims, kind of anti-natural. It is a kind of rebellion against the severe limitations of our rather trite biology.
That’s what I know to be the case, having seen all the problems and delusions in myself, so that’s what I care about. I don’t care about introducing some other subset of lunatics into power to make the world a miserable shitheap in some other way. I don’t approach this from some “I’m perfect and everyone else sucks” frame either - this, more than anything was won from tearing away delusions and having been in pain in my youth. A sensitive young man as they are saying. I was not some perfectly born overman who just knows everything due to pedigree. Quite the opposite, and to be honest, I don’t think such a thing exists. I’ve never seen it. Sportsman, lawyers, bankers, you name it. I never seen it. I’ve seen people sustaining an image - fine. But I never saw the mythical upper class high born unicorn. Not in the way such an image is projected online.
We as a species tend to want to blabber and argue about who has the greatest sense of linguistic adherence to a set of principles. And in this way there isn’t much difference to say, a bureaucrat creating dull systems and rules because of a ceaseless left brain inclination towards “safety for all”.
No one - even the edgy ones - are willing to confront the true problems facing this organism. For sure, they are closer to the truth, and do good work exposing many problems facing the world. But not the real issue. That would force questioning of a reliance on theoryfagging and on language itself as the greatest value. The modern internet age reeks of passivity and this strategy is no different.
It can’t be different. It’s how we’re wired.
Beyond that, it would force many of us to question if they're as good as they think they are. In short, if our self-perception even remotely measures up to the grandiose measurements we make of our own self-worth and superiority . Of all things, one must be most careful of superiority.
I listened to a space on women or sex or whatever today for a short while, where a bunch of people were speaking on schoolgirl-tier social relationship philosophy, and someone invoked Nietzsche, of course. It felt like a desecration that such ideas were being used for such pedestrian aims. Coupled with the this tired “masculinity” type stuff and all the theories and idea surrounding it all.
Alas, Twitter is like that, kind of like a school hall where whoever has the greater rhetorical command or the nicest avatar becomes the official spokesperson for some kind of thing. The problem is none of this - I repeat - none of this confronts the true view and the true shortcomings of this animal - as I believe Nietzsche intended. It is many valley girl accents coalescing on grade school discussions about being a “jock” (this is correct American term?) or something…from what I could glean in the brief time I was in there.
No amount of discussion or theory or thinking "I am now this," “I’m better than that”, trying to supplant the blood and the organic for words and petty self approvals,will work in any way. You won’t even get close to the truth with this approach. I’ve exhaustively written on this.
None of it does or ever will make a shit of difference. And you will see from this episode why it simply CANNOT be the case.
In short, this podcast will never be popular. I think that's quite clear.
I believe they stop short of the true realization of what he was saying: I see in general they simply reiterate what the left brain considers valuable with a Nietzschean vocabulary.
This is why I believe scientific outlooks are far superior where it comes to this realm - And once understood and experienced, much of what philosophers say makes a new kind of sense. And you leave your old self behind once you comprehend the real issues.
There is no doubt that Nietzsche’s battle, in these terms, was against “left-brainism”. He sought in his work to lay waste to, as he saw it, all the excesses of dominant left-brain consciousness. And one of the ways out of this, that attests to his genius, is physiology. But almost no one gets this, for the reasons above.
And unlike Nietzsche, who was restricted by his time, we have access to hundreds of ways to “get out” of “left-brainism”.
Finally, Kevin and I agree in our experience that the true overcoming is the balancing of the hemispheres or the purposeful conscious physiological creation of true space-time within consciousness. This is a concept we will speak of next week, but in short it involves the balancing out, or integration of the two brains with hard work, and then the actual creation of something new, fostering new connections and networks. This is what I believe humanity will need to foster in the future, more than anything else.
this is the essence of overcoming, and it is the essence of bio-individual philosophy.
This requires everything Nietzsche laid out. Letting things go, self-destruction, physiology, amoralism, resisting dogmatism, skepticism of logocentric excess - all the things many love to pay homage to. All these have measurable impacts on how the hemispheres work.
I see no one doing this work. Just like any leftist, any n0rmalf@g, anyone walking around, everyone I see holds onto their little self-conception nice and tight and remains as they always were in their pettiness, commonness, desire for petty gain. thinking their speshul, when driven by nothing more than a base narcissism. One major feature of modernity.
Speaking with Kevin after the show, he expressed he was not hopeful for the species or the species' ability to break out of this. I agreed, citing this same phenomenon I described above, that if even the people who are open to it are not up to the task how the hell will the species itself manage it?
I recounted a George Carlin joke at this idea - that maybe the only reason the Earth wants us around is for plastic?
Maybe there is no overcoming. Maybe we’re just a small stepping stone for what life has in store next, and life does not want us to break out.
This all remains to be seen
Links to Episodes:
Youtube:
Spotify:
Website:
Audio MP3:
https://pinecast.com/listen/4b411cb8-c1fa-4740-93b4-16a505e16fae.mp3
Coming Up…
Next week we will be discussing techniques, separating techniques from traditions…when to…when not to…I think Kevin and I may have some differences on this so should be interesting
My course is in the works. 100 session course to fix your breathing as much as you can online.
with regards,
Alex
Did you read Iain's first or second book? The 2nd ("The Matter With Things") has several chapters explaining why the very idea that science has any kind of comprehensive solution to the problems of humanity is one of today's most fundamental mistakes of the left hemisphere. He also in the final chapters speaks of the necessity of coming to terms with what "God" really means. not the psychopathic, sadistic old guy in the sky of most religions, but the"Existence Consciousness Bliss" so beautifully described by David Bentley Hart in his book of the same name.
As for "mindfulness" as a solution - I hope you're not thinking of it's modern pop incarnation, which is the self's self improvement project at its ultimate height. The self cannot abandon or get over itself, as countless sages, mystics, yogis and seers have taught for thousands of years. Ramakrishna said the current age is so lost in the left hemisphere way of saying things (well, he didn't refer to neurology but said the same thing infinitely better in his own language) that the only hope was repeating the Divine Name.
Fortunately, that is no longer true - but as far as utter and complete surrender to the Divine Reality - it's actually not "hard" at all (only seems so to the LH absorbed consciousness). As Ramana Maharshi once put it,"the only thing required for awakening is to be - what could be easier than that?"
Well, what could be harder for that if you take yourself to be a human doing rather than a human being?
I would dare say that the practices (yes, practices - the non LH way seems a paradox; no self improvement BUT there are practices - the whole. modern"anti practice" movement in the world of spiriuality is another hangup of the LH) - the practices in Craig Holliday's book "The Yoga of LIberation" provide a profound solvent for the left-hemisphere absorbed consciousness.
Yes, Iain does tentatively recommend mindfulness but falls into theLH mistake of denying the possible value of ANY kind of practice. Krishnamurti seems to have fallen into this mistake but he actually did teach practcies. Well, as a friend of mine, channeling his best Dr. Phil voice, told a meditation student who was insisting that any kind of meditation practice just strengthens theLH ego, "And how's THAT working out for you?"