SUCH a fascinating one (they're all great)! It's made me want to chew this over but as I have no one to talk about this with, here is one point of engagement.
The Fact Framework has put words to something I've been noticing more of in my own life in relationship to music. While I'm sure there are studies on the impact of different kinds of musical arrangements on the brain, the 'why' behind the power of emotion invoked by music feels like one of those 'beyond fact' entities. Empirical assessment can't touch why Wait For It from Hamilton or Into the Unknown makes me weep every time I hear them (they could try, but I think they would be fundamentally lacking). But that emotional movement speaks to a bit of reality that sits beyond fact. Those beyond-words spaces feel sacred and worth protecting.
IM would certainly say that "facts" are a way of attending to the world associated with the brain's left hemisphere. As I put it in the post linked above, the left hemisphere has a narrow focus on detail, while the larger right hemisphere is focused on the bigger picture. So, while the left brain separates things into parts, the right seeks connection and integration. The two hemispheres are meant for cooperation, but the right hemisphere is meant to lead. In the modern West, the left leads. Hence, our obsession with facts.
Here's something IM says in a little essay called Ways of Attending: "The left hemisphere can appreciate rhythm, as long as it is simple, but little else: melody, timbre, and, especially, harmony are all largely right-hemisphere-dependent, as are complex rhythms, with cross-beats and syncopations.”
SUCH a fascinating one (they're all great)! It's made me want to chew this over but as I have no one to talk about this with, here is one point of engagement.
The Fact Framework has put words to something I've been noticing more of in my own life in relationship to music. While I'm sure there are studies on the impact of different kinds of musical arrangements on the brain, the 'why' behind the power of emotion invoked by music feels like one of those 'beyond fact' entities. Empirical assessment can't touch why Wait For It from Hamilton or Into the Unknown makes me weep every time I hear them (they could try, but I think they would be fundamentally lacking). But that emotional movement speaks to a bit of reality that sits beyond fact. Those beyond-words spaces feel sacred and worth protecting.
Thanks for engaging, Isabel. I resonate very much with this. In recent years, the work of Iain McGilchrist (IM) has helped me grapple with it, especially with music. We posted about him here: https://threethingsnewsletter.substack.com/p/divided-brains-american-babel-and
IM would certainly say that "facts" are a way of attending to the world associated with the brain's left hemisphere. As I put it in the post linked above, the left hemisphere has a narrow focus on detail, while the larger right hemisphere is focused on the bigger picture. So, while the left brain separates things into parts, the right seeks connection and integration. The two hemispheres are meant for cooperation, but the right hemisphere is meant to lead. In the modern West, the left leads. Hence, our obsession with facts.
Here's something IM says in a little essay called Ways of Attending: "The left hemisphere can appreciate rhythm, as long as it is simple, but little else: melody, timbre, and, especially, harmony are all largely right-hemisphere-dependent, as are complex rhythms, with cross-beats and syncopations.”
All this to say: You're on to something.
Oh wow! I wasn't aware of any of that. Fascinating to have that instinct confirmed. Thanks for your response!