Rebel Wisdom

What are Daniel Schmachtenberger, John Vervaeke, Sara Ness & Doshin Roshi trying to make sense of right now? We catch up with the faculty of our online course, Sensemaking 101, to find out what questions they've been wresting with recently. We also discuss how we think the information landscape has shifted in the last 6 months, reflect on the challenges of figuring out how to navigate the complexity and weirdness of 2021, and share which practices we've found essential in improving agency, sovereignty and discernment.   Sensemaking 101 has an average rating of 90% from over a thousand alumni. Our next course starts on July 8 - read more and book your place on www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/sensemaking101  If you aren't able to afford the course right now, we offer discounted scholarship places. You can apply on https://forms.gle/qf646jvNxXfyrfK98

In the last few weeks, the suggestion that the Covid virus emerged from a lab in Wuhan instead of the wild has gone from 'fringe conspiracy theory', to 'possibility' to 'most likely explanation' for many mainstream media outlets.   At the same time, the way that the 'consensus' position was created and defended has been laid bare. This is a hugely important story that touches on many of the topics we've covered on Rebel Wisdom, the problems of Sensemaking, the manipulation of the information landscape by powerful actors, and the value of decentralised collective intelligence as an alternative sensemaking force.     In this film, we hear from some of the main players, and try to tell the story so far. This is a hugely complex story, which we have been researching for several months.   We have put together a comprehensive briefing document alongside our latest newsletter, to receive it, check this link: https://mailchi.mp/rebelwisdom.co.uk/...

Zak is an influential voice among those wrestling with the deep problems with the source code of our culture, and he is particularly focused on the problems of learning and education.   We welcomed Zak to this Digital Campfire event, where we will dive into his concept of a "Time Between Worlds". His piece a year ago, "A War Broke out in Heaven" caused a stir, proposing that "We are being shaped by vast and complex forces into becoming new kinds of people: http://www.zakstein.org/blog/   He is also a co-founder of the Consilience Project with Daniel Schmachtenberger: https://consilienceproject.org/   To join conversations like this, consider becoming a Rebel Wisdom member: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/plans

Jonathan Rowson is a philosopher and chess grandmaster, who did an interview with Jordan Peterson at the Royal Society for the Arts in January 2018.   In the aftermath he received a lot of criticism online from Peterson's fans, and spent six months trying to make sense of his interaction with the 'Peterson Phenomenon'. This took the form of a long essay, trying to wrestle with what he called 'Petersonitis': https://integral-review.org/an-episte...   Now, more than three years on, he talks through the experience with Rebel Wisdom's David Fuller, the creator of multiple films about the Peterson phenomenon. Full interview with Peterson at the RSA is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD-VC...   Rebel Wisdom is hosting a Q&A on this film with Jonathan in our Digital Campfire on Thursday 10th June, to join, become a member: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/plans   Check out Jonathan's project Perspectiva: https://systems-souls-society.com/

In this episode of the Wisdom Gym, we're joined by Stephen Jenkinson, best known as one of the world's leading commentators on our cultural attitudes to death. The author of 'Die Wise' and 'The Case for Elderhood in Times of Trouble', Jenkinson is also a musician, cultural activist and co-founder of a training school called Orphan Wisdom.   With a live audience of Rebel Wisdom members, he explored what it means to live in a death-phobic culture, how the pandemic has affected our attitudes to dying, and just how fundamental these attitudes are to our perception.   Learn more about Stephen's work on https://orphanwisdom.com/   Attend Wisdom Gym events like this by becoming a Rebel Wisdom member. Check out what we have coming up on https://www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/campfir...

As psychedelics enter the mainstream, a lot of people are concerned that they're being captured by corporate interests.   In this debate, hosted by the Oxford University Psychedelic Society on 27 May, Alexander Beiner and Lars Wilde (President and Co-Founder of Compass Pathways) discussed the controversies surrounding Compass Pathways' patenting strategy, the future of the field and more.   The Oxford University Psychedelic Society run regular events, check them out on: https://www.oxfordsu.org/societies/ox...   See our other films about psychedelic capitalism below: The Rise of Psychedelic Capitalism: https://youtu.be/uXoDOGkmZsI   Endgame for the Psychedelic Renaissance? with Jamie Wheal: https://youtu.be/EOXJOZK1ZNQ   Participate in events with psychedelic leaders like Dennis McKenna in our Digital Campfire. See what's coming up on: www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/events

Over the last year, Heather Heying and her husband Bret Weinstein have turned their podcast the Dark Horse, into a commentary on the pandemic. It's a long way from their background as evolutionary biology professors at Evergreen college, which they were forced to leave in 2017.  How has the journey been over the last year, and what can be learnt from it?  This Q&A was recorded in April in the Rebel Wisdom Digital Campfire. To see upcoming events, and join conversations like this, check here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/campfire-events Dark Horse podcast is here: https://www.youtube.com/BretWeinsteinDarkHorse

What have we learnt from Brian Rose's spectacular London Mayor flameout, and assorted other scams? This was a conversation including Nic Gabriel, the original co-host of London Real, Coffeezilla, who has done so much to expose Brian over the last months, hosted by Rebel Wisdom in the Digital Campfire. David Fuller has just written a new Medium piece summarising the unanswered questions about Brian's mayoral bid, in particular, whether any of the money from the 'Digital Freedom Platform' scam was used to fund it. Brian is threatening to sue anyone who makes that claim, by the way: https://medium.com/rebel-wisdom/did-brian-rose-use-the-money-he-scammed-from-his-followers-to-run-for-mayor-bb317cf68ddb Check out the interview where Nic Gabriel broke his silence on Brian Rose & London Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hOQCUj3wyY&t=2267s Nic's 'Liberation Mentor' podcast: https://www.liberationmentor.com/ Coffeezilla's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFQMnBA3CS502aghlcr0_aw And check out the upcoming conversations in the Digital Campfire here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/campfire-events

Alan Watts is still considered one of the most penetrating and influential thinkers on the topic of spirituality, and played a pivotal role in introducing the west to Eastern religious thinking.   In this edition of the Rebel Wisdom Book Club, author and Watts expert Tim Lott discusses one of his most intriguing books, 'The Book: The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are'.   The Book Club is a monthly event hosted in Rebel Wisdom's Digital Campfire in front of a live audience. To join around eight sessions a month, and ask questions, starts from $10 per month. Check upcoming events here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/campfire-ev...   A pdf of The Book is available here: https://holybooks-lichtenbergpress.ne...

What is a Live Player? How does this concept help us make sense of the cultural landscape? Is becoming one important, maybe essential? Samo Burja is a deep thinker with a talent for creating concepts that help make sense of the cultural landscape, such as 'Live Player', meaning a person or organisation capable of novelty, versus one only able to run existing scripts. The pandemic, and the inept response to it has shown up how many institutions and organisations are now effectively 'dead players', and how hollow and dysfunctional many of our systems have become. In this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation, Samo explains what turns live players into dead ones, the underlying psychology and dynamics at play, and how we might go about changing that process. Rebel Wisdom is shortly to begin a new online journey, called Becoming a Live Player, led by David Fuller and Peter Limberg of The Stoa. We will explore the landscape together, and learn some of the most effective skills, practices and psychotechnologies from as many different sources (memetic tribes) as possible: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/courses/liv...​ This conversation was recorded in the Rebel Wisdom Digital Campfire. To see what sessions and discussions are coming up, check here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/campfire-ev...​ Samo Burja, 'About Me': "There has never been an immortal society. No matter how technologically advanced our own society is, it is unlikely to be an exception. To achieve a positive future that defies these odds, we must understand the hidden forces that shape society. In 2017, I founded Bismarck Analysis, a consulting firm that investigates the political and institutional landscape of society. I’m a Research Fellow at the Long Now Foundation where I study how institutions can endure for centuries and millennia. I’m also Senior Research Fellow in Political Science at the Foresight Institute where I advise how institutions can shape the future of technology."