In this conversation with John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro we discuss their collaborative work on the 'Awakening from the Meaning Crisis' project, exploring the dynamics of their partnership, the impact of their ideas on contemporary discourse, and the challenges of making complex concepts accessible. They delve into the importance of narrative in understanding philosophical ideas, the role of dialogical reasoning in writing, and the surprising effects of their video series on academic engagement. 

Buy their book: Awakening From the Meaning Crisis: Part One: Origins: https://www.amazon.co.za/Awakening-Meaning-Crisis-Part-Origins/dp/1645011003 

John Vervaeke's course on The Symbolic World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-cognitive-science-of-ritual

Daily Wire Plus: The Gospels seminar: https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels

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NEW COURSE: The Symbolic World Goes to Middle-Earth
Join us for an in-depth study of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium, where we'll explore his masterful use of medieval literary genres, Christian storytelling traditions, and hidden philology. This course, presented by Richard Rohlin, will guide you through Tolkien's vision for a "Mythology for England," examining his work as a complex tapestry of Universal History. Through this journey, we’ll also examine Tolkien’s use of epic poems, chronicles, and literary devices to craft a truly legendary vision of the past, present, and future. Thereafter, we'll look at how his work has inspired later authors of fantasy, shaped the genre more generally, and continues to aid our recovery of deeper, cosmological storytelling.
- Dates: Live classes are on Mondays at 1 PM Central starting March 3, 2025
- Course length: 5 weeks, 10 hours of lectures
- Cost: $150
- 10% Discount for all patrons at the Involved tier or higher, apply your discount code at checkout
- Participants will be given access to lesson recordings with downloadable audio
- You’ll also have the opportunity to apply these ideas to contemporary authors and your own mythopoeic writing!
- The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member at https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/join-community before making your purchase. 
Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/tolkien-and-universal-history 

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:39 - Intro music
01:03 - Introduction
01:42 - Working together
06:23 - Coming to terms with John's vocabulary
11:26 - Getting feedback
14:27 - Telling a story
18:36 - A dialogical process
22:25 - Change in academia
26:48 - John Vervaeke and Jordan Peterson at UofT
29:21 - Cross-disciplinary
36:01 - Cognitive science
40:14 - Making woo acceptable
45:06 - John and John teaching
52:33 - What was the Gospels seminar like for Jonathan
00:15 - John's experience
03:23 - The strangeness of Christianity
08:19 - Hope for the book's reception

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My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/