ABSTRACT
In Part One, passing reference was made to the belief held by many psychologists that the left cerebral hemisphere is now dominant. It is probable that it has been dominant for a considerable time, acting as the pacemaker of cultural change. Under its impetus, Western man has constantly sought to establish new values, new comprehensive systems of knowledge. Each time this left cerebral initiative has become established across the whole cultural spectrum, there has been a progressive shift towards complete rationality. At the same time, there has been a marked acceleration in the rate of cultural change since sixth-century bc Greece to twentieth-century Europe. This implies that the left cerebral 'compulsion' has become progressively stronger. As a concomitant of this, the right cerebral reaction, termed by cultural historians 'romanticism', has been less and less able to sustain its momentum.
