John’s 51-video course on Awakening from the Meaning Crisis provides a resource of unmatched depth and breadth on the Meaning Crisis. Although challenging, it is also very accessible to any inquisitive mind.
Psychology and Cognitive Science Professor at University of Toronto | Integrating science and spirituality to solve the meaning crisis
From John’s LinkedIn Profile:
I teach course for three programs. I teach courses in cognitive psychology on thinking and reasoning, higher cognition, and cognitive development. I also teach courses in the cognitive science program on integrating the work done in psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguists, and philosophy to try and tackle central problems about the nature of cognition. Finally, I teach in the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program on the intersection between Buddhism and Cognitive Science, and on the scientific basis of mindfulness meditation.
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Recent Content
Last 50 posts on own channels (YouTube, Podcast, Medium or Website/Blog):
Buddhist & Stoic Wisdom about Life and Death | Lex Fridman & John Vervaeke
Published on: 5 Dec 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
How to make YOUR life more meaningful | Lex Fridman & John Vervaeke
Published on: 3 Dec 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The Thirst of Your Soul | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 2 Dec 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Hyperobjects: A New Cognitive Paradigm with Jordan Hall
Published on: 1 Dec 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Wisdom Cultivation in the Chesterton School System
Published on: 29 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Where do YOU go for wisdom? | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 29 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
How to find MEANING in your life | Lex Fridman and Dr. John Vervaeke
Published on: 28 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
How to Transcend Yourself Through Movement | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 26 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The Future is Now: How Cognitive Science is Reshaping Society
Published on: 24 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
What YOUR Imagination and Ancient Rituals have in common | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 24 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Why Beauty is Deeply Implicit Throughout Stoicism | Stoicon
Published on: 22 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
3 Simple Steps to Become Wise | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 22 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Nietzsche’s Wake-Up Call | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 20 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Where do YOU go go for wisdom? | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 18 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Responding to the Meaning Crisis by Changing the Culture of Business Organizations W/ Tim Bishop
Published on: 17 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Why People Are Abandoning Religion | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 16 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The Crossroads of Predictive Processing and Relevance Realization | Leiden Symposium
Published on: 15 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The SECRET connection between community and sacredness | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 14 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
What the Buddha and Recovery Meetings have in common | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 12 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Navigating Meaning and Magic: A Spellbinding Discussion with Ben Holden
Published on: 10 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Addiction in a nutshell | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 9 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Attachment Theory Beyond Therapy: Seth Allison on Wisdom and Connection
Published on: 8 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
What YOU really desire is… | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 7 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Embrace Fulfillment Beyond Romance | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 6 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Heidegger’s Being and Time w/ Johaness Niederhauser
Published on: 3 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Cultivating Wise Practice and Virtuous Service with Taylor Barratt and Ethan Hsieh
Published on: 1 Nov 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The 2 most IMPORTANT things you can have | John Vervaeke & Theo Von
Published on: 28 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Unlocking the Secrets of Creativity and Wisdom with Kevin Bowers, and Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh
Published on: 27 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Who wants to live forever | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 26 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Deep Dive: Race, Culture, Jazz, and Democracy #4 with Greg Thomas
Published on: 25 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The base of YOUR fatality | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von #cognitivescience
Published on: 24 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Unlocking the Mind: Dr. John Vervaeke & Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh Decode Cognitive Secrets
Published on: 20 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The FALLACIES of being human | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von #cognitivescience
Published on: 19 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Redefining God, Reason, and Freedom with D.C. Schindler and Ken Lowry
Published on: 18 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Reciprocally Reconstructive Dialogos Between Neoplatonism and Science with Sevilla King
Published on: 14 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
What happens if you fly to the sun? | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 13 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Cultivating the Fellowship of Spiritual Practice with Christopher Mastropietro and Guy Sengstock
Published on: 11 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Before and after Alexander the Great | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 10 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The new problems we all face | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von #shorts #meaningcrisis
Published on: 8 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Is Free Will an Illusion? Navigating Kantian Thought with Dr. Vervaeke & Matt Segall
Published on: 7 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The physician of the soul… | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 6 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Unlocking the Power of Cognitive Science in Government with Dr. John Vervaeke & Carla Groom
Published on: 4 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The Avengers as modern myth | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 2 Oct 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Why you need other people… | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 30 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Unlocking the Mind: The Intersection of Psychotherapy and Spirituality
Published on: 29 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Beyond the Trip: How Psychedelics Are Shaping Our Worldview, with Alexander Beiner
Published on: 27 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Why did people die for their country? | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 27 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Eternity is NOT what you think it is… | Dr. John Vervaeke and Tim Ferriss
Published on: 26 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
God is related to the world… | Dr. John Vervaeke and Tim Ferriss
Published on: 25 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
The future of religion | Dr. John Vervaeke and Theo Von
Published on: 23 Sep 23 in John Vervaeke – YouTube
by John Vervaeke
Why has the zombie become such a pervasive figure in twenty-first-century popular culture? John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro and Filip Miscevic seek to answer this question by arguing that particular aspects of the zombie, common to a variety of media forms, reflect a crisis in modern Western culture.
The authors examine the essential features of the zombie, including mindlessness, ugliness and homelessness, and argue that these reflect the outlook of the contemporary West and its attendant zeitgeists of anxiety, alienation, disconnection and disenfranchisement. They trace the relationship between zombies and the theme of secular apocalypse, demonstrating that the zombie draws its power from being a perversion of the Christian mythos of death and resurrection. Symbolic of a lost Christian worldview, the zombie represents a world that can no longer explain itself, nor provide us with instructions for how to live within it.
The concept of ‘domicide’ or the destruction of home is developed to describe the modern crisis of meaning that the zombie both represents and reflects. This is illustrated using case studies including the relocation of the Anishinaabe of the Grassy Narrows First Nation, and the upheaval of population displacement in the Hellenistic period. Finally, the authors invoke and reformulate symbols of the four horseman of the apocalypse as rhetorical analogues to frame those aspects of contemporary collapse that elucidate the horror of the zombie.
Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis is required reading for anyone interested in the phenomenon of zombies in contemporary culture. It will also be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience including students and scholars of culture studies, semiotics, philosophy, religious studies, eschatology, anthropology, Jungian studies, and sociology
Recent Videos and Podcasts where John Vervaeke has been interviewed
In this conversation, John, Bonnie, and Thomas discuss various frameworks on what wisdom is, how it functions, and the different types and scales of complexity in which wisdom may arise.
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John Vervaeke, Zak Stein, and Nora Bateson discuss transformation and its complex, cross-domain dimensionality. This episode addresses topics such as how does transformation take place and in what contexts? How
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John Vervaeke, Zak Stein, and Nora Bateson discuss transformation and its complex, cross-domain dimensionality. This episode addresses topics such as how does transformation take place and in what contexts? How
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Jim talks with John Vervaeke and Jordan Hall about Vervaeke’s concept of “the religion that is not a religion.” They discuss the need to create a home for ecologies of
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Dr. John Vervaeke is a professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto and has been the prophet of ‘the meaning crisis’. Vervaeke lays out the meaning crisis as
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John Vervaeke speaks with Seishin and myself about the ecology of practices we are exploring in the Willow Intensive. This was originally recorded on The Stoa. This episode includes a
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John Vervaeke speaks with Seishin and myself about the ecology of practices we are exploring in the Willow Intensive. This was originally recorded on The Stoa. This episode includes a
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John is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. In this talk, we discuss how ancient cultures and tribes had rituals, ceremonies and initiations into personhood that we
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A long awaited conversation between my favorite interlocutors, and two philosophical and visionary geniuses of our time—who, as I mention in the beginning—are opposite character types. Nevertheless, both men converge
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A long awaited conversation between my favorite interlocutors, and two philosophical and visionary geniuses of our time—who, as I mention in the beginning—are opposite character types. Nevertheless, both men converge
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John is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and he heads the Cognitive Science lab there. He is one of the most important thinkers of our time,
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Some topics covered in this wide ranging conversation: John Vervaeke appreciation and critique; What is religion? Horizontal and Vertical Religion; The Barred Absolute; Judaism and Zoroastrianism; Two rivers; The Divided
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Some topics covered in this wide ranging conversation: John Vervaeke appreciation and critique; What is religion? Horizontal and Vertical Religion; The Barred Absolute; Judaism and Zoroastrianism; Two rivers; The Divided
…Read more
Some topics covered in this wide ranging conversation: Why Jordan Peterson is a Zoroastrian without knowing it; John Vervaeke’s Buddhism; Marx vs Rousseau; The scapegoat, The false phallus and
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Some topics covered in this wide ranging conversation: Why Jordan Peterson is a Zoroastrian without knowing it; John Vervaeke’s Buddhism; Marx vs Rousseau; The scapegoat, The false phallus and
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Today’s guest is John Vervaeke, PhD. John is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology. John joins Emerge to
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Episode 4 of After Socrates is now available on YouTube! After Socrates: Episode 4 – Reverse Engineering the Dialectic | Dr. John Vervaekeyoutu.beWelcome back to episode 4 of After Socrates! Episode 5 releases next Monday, January 23rd, 2023. Please join our patreon to support our work! https://www.pat…
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We are happy to announce the release of Episode 13 of After Socrates, “Ritual as a Way of Knowing.” In this episode, John explores the profound significance of ritual in our lives and its role in shaping our understanding of reality. Delve into the works of influential philosophers such as Proclus, Iamblichus, John Scotus Eriugena, and Nicholas of Cusa as
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Something very important is happening in Iran right now. My friend Alan Kian and I discuss the matter in the video posted below.A Long Overdue Revolution is Happening… | John Vervaeke and Alan Kianyoutu.beWhat exactly is happening in Iran right now? A long overdue revolution? Two valuable sources of information for keeping up with what is happening in Iran are…
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After Socrates Episode 8 now live on YouTube!After Socrates: Episode 8 – The Socratic Shift | Dr. John Vervaekewww.youtube.comWelcome back to episode 8 of After Socrates! Episode 9 releases next FRIDAY, February 10th, 2023. Please join our patreon to support our work! https://www.pa…
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If you just finished episode 1 of After Socrates… Episode 2 of After Socrates “Socrates, the Monstrous” is now live! After Socrates: Episode 2 – Socrates, The Monstrousyoutu.beWelcome back to episode 2 of After Socrates. In this installment, Dr. Vervaeke continues to add insight into the Socratic Way as we go deep into dialogue and…
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Episode 9! We really hope that you are able to engage thoroughly in the practices over the weekend! #aftersocratesAfter Socrates: Episode 9 – Metanoia | Dr. John Vervaekeyoutu.beWelcome back to episode 9 of After Socrates! Episode 10 releases next FRIDAY, February 17th, 2023. Please join our patreon to support our work! https://www.p…
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Episode 3 of After Socrates is now available! Episode 4 will release next Thursday, Jan. 19th. After Socrates: Episode 3 – Dialectic into Dia-logosyoutu.beWelcome back to episode 3 of After Socrates! Episode 4 releases next Thursday, January 19th, 2023.Books Referenced: Dialectic and Dialogue: Plato’s Practice …
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In this thought-provoking conversation, John Vervaeke is joined by Ken Lowry and DC Schindler to explore the intricate relationship between love, reason, and faith. They discuss the transformative power of leaps and the interconnectedness of the “leap of love,” “leap of reason,” and “leap of the body.”Discovering the Four Leaps: Reason, Love, Faith, and Body | DC Schindler and Ken
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John’s 51-video course on Awakening from the Meaning Crisis provides a resource of unmatched depth and breadth on the Meaning Crisis. Although challenging, it is also very accessible to any inquisitive mind.