Question

Chapter 1 from A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the World Summary In one sentence, objectively explain what the chapter is about. Analysis - choose at least one to respond to: Why do you agree or disagree with Sperry's statement "...that modern society [still] discriminates against the right hemisphere"? Give examples of this discrimnation and ways to change it. Discuss your reaction to "The Wrong Stuff" and "The Real Stuff" Pink presents. What misconceptions did you hold? What new insights about the two hemispheres did you have? Evaluation Respond to Pink's statement that "leading a healthy, happy, successful life depends on [using] both hemispheres of your brain.”

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary. I have answered this question as a right brainer left-handed artist since I am one. You may change the last paragraph to suit your beliefs.

(Answer) The left side of the brain is responsible for working mostly the reflexes of the right side of the body. Also, it is responsible for sequencing information, reasoning, understanding text etc. This is the logical side of the brain.

The right side of the brain is responsible for holistic reasoning, recognising patterns, understanding emotions, context etc. It is the part of the brain and predominantly handles the reflexes of the left side of the body. This is the artistic side of the brain.

Sperry’s statement is agreeable because the future might give way to creating more machines that are able to do logical, sequential routine work. This is the kind of work that left-brainers are programmed to do. Whereas, jobs that involve creating a design, building relationships etc would not be something that a computer could handle. Therefore, it would be more in demand of the right-brainers who are able to gracefully handle such tasks.

Modern society might call this instinctual and artistic work the “wrong stuff” or discriminate against it. That is because the results of such work are not exactly quantifiable through empiricism and the results are not always immediate. A Left brainer could write 400 lines of code and that can be counted, measured and evaluated. However, a right brainer could paint a piece of art and the value might not be entirely quantifiable until it has a price tag on it.

There are not misconceptions to hold about an artist. Not everyone could understand the value of Beethoven or DaVinci’s work. However, that does not mean that their work is bad just because it cannot receive a score. A child might not understand the value of a thousand dollar bottle of wine. To the child, it is a volatile liquid and a chocolate milkshake is much better. However, such a notion does not diminish the value of the wine. It might be smooth, have a pleasant aftertaste, might effervesce in a sublime manner etc. Such are ideas that are too complex for a baby to understand. This is not to say that the work of a left-brainer or the taste of the chocolate milkshake is bad. Both, the contributions of the left and right-brainer are equally necessary for the functioning of a society.