All lectures will take place at Regent College.
How do we think about truth? Where do we go to find it? While science and reason have undeniable power to disclose many aspects of reality, they do not reveal everything. In this lecture, Iain McGilchrist explains why we cannot rely only on the reports of science or the power of rational argument and demonstrates that it is both unscientific and irrational to do so.
What can brain science tell us about the way we conceive of the world? What are its limitations? In this second lecture, Iain McGilchrist examines space, time, and the paradoxes to which they give rise, considering what they might tell us about the ultimate nature of reality. He argues that the prevailing ethos of our society restricts our ability to understand the nature of the divine; it is accordingly unsurprising that fewer and fewer people find themselves able to embrace belief in a divine Being.
Power is often equated with the ability to control and shape reality. But is that really true? In this third lecture, Iain McGilchrist argues that powerful creativity often comes from learning not to do the things that seem obvious in the moment. Openness and receptivity bring a richer engagement with the world than efforts to forge a reality of our own making. As we reorient our understanding in this way, we begin to see striking parallels between science and theology.
On February 10, 2016, Iain McGilchrist took part in a live online discussion with Krish Kandiah, Carolyn Arends, and host Iwan Russell-Jones on some of the topics he will tackle in the Laing Lectures. The one-hour recording of the webcast is a great introduction to Iain McGilchrist's thinking.