Iain McGilchrist, at a glance

● Born in 1953 ● Elected to All Souls, Oxford before studying medicine, neurology and psychiatry ● Key work: The Master and His Emissary (2009) sold over 100,000 copies worldwide ● Big idea: our divided brains can explain western history over the last 200 years ● Fans include Philip Pullman, Rowan Williams and John Cleese