John Vervaeke on the Transformative Power of Stoicism (Episode 6)
Jan 11, 2023
auto_awesome
John Vervaeke, a cognitive psychologist and cognitive science professor, discusses the transformative power of Stoicism. They explore topics such as the meaning crisis, the view from above, transformative experience, contemplative practice, and the relationship between science and spirituality. The conversation dives deep into these subjects and offers multiple insights on how Stoicism can deeply transform individuals.
Cultivating wisdom through practices like meditation and contemplation can deeply transform one's identity and address the meaning crisis.
Expanding one's perspective through practices like the view from above and participatory knowing can reduce self-deception and enhance a sense of connectedness and presence.
Deep dives
The Importance of Cultivating Wisdom
The podcast episode discusses the importance of cultivating wisdom in response to the meaning crisis. The speaker highlights the need to connect cognitive science and practices that promote wisdom within a scientific worldview. By integrating practices such as meditation, contemplation, and flow states, individuals can develop flexible perspectives, enhance their connectedness to the world, and reduce self-deceptive behaviors. The aim is to create an ecology of practices that address the perennial threat of self-deception and foster personal growth and meaning.
The View from Above and Transformative Experiences
The podcast explores the concept of the view from above, a practice that involves expanding one's perspective to gain insights and challenge egocentric perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of developing procedural, perspectival, and participatory knowing, and how these forms of knowing contribute to reducing self-deception and enhancing one's sense of presence and connectedness. The episode discusses the potential risk of disconnecting from the pettiness of mortal concerns, but also suggests that flow states and participatory practices can help individuals navigate this balance.
Rationality, Transformation, and Expanded Notions
The podcast delves into the relationship between rationality, transformative experiences, and expanded notions of knowing. It challenges the traditional view of rationality as purely inferential and argues for an inclusion of non-inferential developmental processes in our understanding of rationality. The importance of cultivating a state of rationality that combines flexibility and connectedness is highlighted, drawing from philosophers such as Thomas Nagel, Agnes Callard, and Baruch Spinoza. The episode suggests that practices like meditation, contemplation, and flow can contribute to attaining this balanced state of rationality and cultivating wisdom.
Building Institutions and Practices for Wisdom
The podcast episode ends by discussing the need to build institutions and practices that facilitate the cultivation of wisdom. It proposes a reflective equilibrium between the language of cognitive science and the language of wisdom traditions, creating a coherent framework that integrates the scientific worldview and the cultivation of wisdom. This approach aims to provide guidance, legitimacy, and shared understanding for individuals participating in the ecology of practices that address the meaning crisis. By combining personal reflection, scientific understanding, and community engagement, it is possible to respond effectively to the challenges of the meaning crisis.
In this conversation, Caleb and John Vervaeke talk about the nature of transformative experience and how Stoicism can deeply transform who you are. The discussion is deep and will repay multiple listens.
John Vervaeke is an Assistant Professor in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto. His work constructs a bridge between science and spirituality in order to understand the experience of meaningfulness and the cultivation of wisdom so as to afford awakening from the meaning crisis.
Stoa Conversations is Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay’s podcast on Stoic theory and practice.
Caleb and Michael work together on the Stoa app. Stoa is designed to help you build resilience and focus on what matters. It combines the practical philosophy of Stoicism with modern techniques and meditation.
Caleb Ontiveros has a background in academic philosophy (MA) and startups. His favorite Stoic is Marcus Aurelius. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/calebmontiveros
Michael Tremblay also has a background in academic philosophy (PhD) where he focused on Epictetus. He is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His favorite Stoic is Epictetus. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/_MikeTremblay
Thank you to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode