When it comes to Systems Thinking, most westerners are more comfortable with the “analysis of the parts” than with the “synthesis of the whole.” The opposite seems to be the case with most eastern cultures. Why is this true?

Likewise, most westerners are relatively more comfortable determining the cost and function associated with each individual part of a system, while eastern cultures are more likely to focus on the overall relationships among the parts and the flow of the total system. Why is this true?

We know that these differences are not biological; therefore, they must be cultural. But do we merely think about different things, or do we actually think differently?

These distinctions are illustrated in Christian Bueno’s 45-minute video, West and East, Cultural Differences. Bob Browne’s book, Sys-Tao, Western Logic – Eastern Flow, follows up on these theories and suggests that we need to become more aware of our respective blind spots. Symbolically, the “Sys” represents our traditional western – left-brained – point of view, while the “Tao” represents that of more eastern – right-brained – cultures.

Iain McGilchrist explains these distinctions in greater detail in his 12-minute video describing the “Divided Brain.”