Ian McGilchrist is a British psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar best known for exploring how the two hemispheres of the brain shape human perception, thought, and culture. His work challenges the popular “left brain vs. right brain” cliché, instead showing how the hemispheres have deeply different but complementary ways of attending to the world. McGilchrist argues that Western society has increasingly favored the left hemisphere’s narrow, analytical focus at the expense of the right hemisphere’s broader, more holistic awareness—an imbalance he believes underlies many modern cultural and environmental crises.

After studying English literature at Oxford and working as a Fellow in English at All Souls College, McGilchrist retrained in medicine and psychiatry, specializing in neuropsychiatry. His acclaimed books, including The Master and His Emissary (2009) and The Matter with Things (2021), weave neuroscience, philosophy, art, and history into a sweeping narrative about the divided brain’s role in everything from science and politics to meaning and spirituality. Known for both his erudition and his ability to connect complex science with everyday life, McGilchrist’s work has influenced thinkers across disciplines and sparked lively debates on the nature of mind and reality.