A Whole New Mind

A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future is a book by Daniel H. Pink. This book was recommend reading from a few of my colleagues and while I am not quite finished reading the book, I am fascinated with Pink’s provocative commentary on our global future.

Chapter One, titled Right Brain Rising, gives readers a refresher of the misconceptions vs ‘the real stuff’ in the different roles between the two hemispheres of the brain.
We need both left and right brain approaches to live fulfilling, productive lives. So why does Daniel H. Pink feel the need to emphasize the right-brained approach?

“Last century, machines proved they could replace human back. This century, new technologies are proving they can replace human left brains” (p. 44). Automation and technological developments are shifting the emphasis in the workplace away from information-based, analytical focuses to narrative, storytelling, and empathetic right-brained thinking.

Pink outlines four defining ages in chapter three (p. 49):
Depicting the historical progression of society shows the evolution from left-brain domination to the right-brain rising.

In part two of the book, Pink introduces six senses essential in the Conceptual Age.
• Design
• Story
• Symphony
• Empathy
• Play
• Meaning

“These six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world” (p. 67).

A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future will take readers on a fascinating journey exploring the future that we should no longer be waiting for, but instead embrace as it has already arrived.