In this conversation, I speak with British psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist about intelligence, mental illness, and AI.

Get Dr. McGilchrist’s books: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/

APPLICATIONS OPEN: Ralston seeks 25 students with the curiosity and courage to find light in the darkness. Our one-year MA in the Humanities begins with two months learning Ancient and Modern Greek in Greece, before moving to beautiful Savannah, GA. Full and partial scholarships are available. The deadline for priority consideration is December 18, 2025. Visit https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma

NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail. Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail Cost: $160 USD Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026 Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST

Timestamps: 00:00 Coming up 00:43 Intro music 01:07 Introduction to Ralston College and Its Mission 10:57 The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society 21:02 Intelligence and Consciousness 30:57 The Dangers of Alien Intelligence 39:17 Understanding Addiction and Mental Illness 46:04 Possession and Mental Health: A New Perspective 52:11 The Left Hemisphere and Its Malign Influence 01:03:37 AI: The Modern Sorcerer's Apprentice 01:11:11 All We Can Do

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/