You Actually Share Your Brain With a Silent Stranger
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN returns to it constantly in consciousness and decision-making threads as a clear, entertaining explanation of split-brain.
What it is
CGP Grey explains split-brain patients, where severing the corpus callosum lets the two hemispheres act independently. He uses this to explore the idea of two minds in one head.
Recommended by 7 HN commenters across 7 different months, 2016 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec otto_ortega · 2017-01 · on “Split Brain Does Not Lead to Split Consciousness”
If you just learned that "Split Brain" was thing, I recommend watching this video by GPGrey, one of the best educational channels on YouTube: [this video]
Recommends BoppreH · 2016-11 · on “My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am”
For mind bending check the great explanation from CGP Grey, "You are two"[1], which argues the two brain hemispheres can operate independently. [1]: [this video]
Recommends glenneroo · 2018-04 · on “The limits of information (2014)”
Kurzgesagt[0] and CGP Grey[1] did a fun little 2-part intro into "split mindedness" i.e. the idea that we may have multiple consciousnesses(?) contending for control. [0] [LINK] [1] [this video]
Recommends teddyh · 2019-05 · on “Self-distancing can help you make better decisions”
> how can there be two selfs in a single mind. Oh wow, do I have a YouTube video for you: [this video] ( You Are Two , by CGP Grey)
Recommends surround · 2020-08 · on “A man who can read letters but not numbers exposes roots of consciousness”
This reminds me of two mind-boggling discoveries I’ve had about the human mind. The first is that the two halves of your brain act somewhat independently. And in rare cases, people’s left and right halves are “split” apart, and they act entirely independently - e.g. their left and their right hands will act separately, or even argue with each other. CGP Grey made a great video about this: [this video] The other is that most people have a “voice” inside their head - e.g. when they read, they hear their own voice inside their head reading; their thoughts are like sentences they “hear;” they could look in the mirror have a conversation with themselves. Some ~10% of people do not have this internal m
Recommends tick_tock_tick · 2021-10 · on “Spinoza’s God: Einstein believed in it, but what was it?”
Every time someone brings up consciousness I like to bring up [this video] . Split brains imply some very interesting ideas around of consciousness.
Recommends alexpotato · 2025-05 · on “The language brain matters more for programming than the math brain? (2020)”
This reminds me of the following quote: "Coding largely involves the 'logical part' of your brain. It tends to not include the 'language part' of your brain. This is one reason why comments you add to code are so useful: they force you to engage both parts of your brain and therefore get better results. This is also why when you go to explain a problem to a colleague, you often have a flash of brilliance and solve the problem: you are reframing the problem using a different part of your brain and the different part of your brain helps solve the problem." I'm sure some readers here will say this is preposterous and there is no such thing as having "two parts of your brain". To them I suggest
Cites branchless · 2016-11 · on “My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am”
You are two [this video] I always come up with good ideas when relaxed, usually when not working on the problem (showering / running). God why are they working us to death?!