Iain McGilchrist, a former fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, talked about his book The Divided Brain at the RSA in late 2010.
He explained that the brain evolved with two operating systems, one analytical, the other more creative and illustrated this by asking us to imagine a bird trying to eat a grain on a pebbly beach. To succeed, the creature must use extreme powers of self-interested analysis, picking out the shape of the grain from the background pebbles so as to co-ordinate its muscles and secure the food.
At the same, of course, such concentration could leave it exposed to attack from an unseen predator far above. That's where the right side of the brain comes in - its job is to scan the environment for unknown threats
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