Dr. John Vervaeke

In this conversation, Ethan Hsieh, a facilitator and the mind behind the Tiamat process, shares insights on how virtuosity can transform not just artistic endeavors but personal growth. He introduces his three-tier developmental framework, blending actor training with cognitive science. They discuss the importance of perspectival metacognition, exploring how deep practices can enhance wisdom and resilience. With connections drawn between ancient rituals and modern transformative practices, Ethan emphasizes that these methods are beneficial for everyone, not just actors.

Thank you for joining us for our monthly Silk Road Seminar! Today's guest is Elizabeth Oldfield.   Elizabeth Oldfield is an experienced leader, writer, consultant and podcast host with a passion for intelligent public engagement on issues of reconciliation, identity, and healing our common life. She is currently working with a range of organisations and individuals as a coach and consultant focused on building clarity, courage and connection.   Elizabeth appears regularly in the media, including BBC One, Sky News, the World Service, and writing in Prospect Magazine, UnHerd and The Financial Times. She also hosts The Sacred, a podcast, events and visual content brand which creates space for a wide range of guests to reflect on their deepest values. For ten years she was Director of Theos, the UK's leading religion and society think tank, where she was repeatedly accredited by Best Companies as a 3* (world class) manager, reflecting her commitment to building and leading flourishing, high performing teams. She spent the first part of her career working at the BBC in television and radio, contributing to programmes including Beyond Belief and the Moral Maze, as well as Radio 3 and 4 documentaries. She is motivated by the dearth of real wisdom in public life, by a desire to increase empathy across our deep differences and the way spirituality can help individuals and societies flourish. She has a masters in Theology and the Arts and lives in an intentional community in south London.   She has spoken with John previously on UnHerd and you can watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/SGCVcMFCd7o?si=pTU2cCbcgR1Nj2xF   Silk Road Seminars are a live event where John weaves together threads from his various theoretical conversations along with a distinguished guest. These hour-long conversations are live on Youtube followed by an exclusive Q&A, where you can ask questions directly to John and his guest. To be entered onto the guest list for these Q&As, you can sign up at the Gamma Tier (and above) on The Lectern at https://lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge   Currently enrolled university students at all levels up to doctoral studies get free access to the Q&A. To gain access to Silk Road seminars, please email your proof of student identity to ethan@vervaekefoundation.org to be added to the guest list and watch previous seminars as well! If you would like to donate purely out of goodwill to support John's work, please consider joining our Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. https://vervaekefoundation.org/ If you would like to learn and engage regularly in practices that are informed, developed and endorsed by John and his work, visit Awaken to Meaning's calendar to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships. https://awakentomeaning.com/join-practice/   John Vervaeke: https://johnvervaeke.com/ https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke

Zevi Slavin, a philosopher and educator specializing in Jewish Neoplatonism, dives into the life and ideas of Solomon Ibn Gabirol. He discusses the implications of will and desire in creation, redefining 'matter' as longing for form. The conversation explores the receptive aspects of the divine and parallels with Taoist thought. Slavin richly connects Jewish poetry and Kabbalah to Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical innovations, highlighting how ancient wisdom can illuminate contemporary spirituality and understanding.

Dive into an engaging exploration of the relationship between cognition and spirit, examining how voluntary necessity shapes our understanding of agency and faith. Discover the intricate dynamics of predictive processing, where imagination entwines with rationality. The discussion highlights the power of community in meaningful exchanges and how storytelling influences identity. By bridging modern theories and ancient wisdom, profound insights emerge about human existence and the interconnectedness of reason, love, and collective meaning.

In this engaging seminar, philosopher Rick Repetti shares insights from his background in Buddhist meditation and analytic philosophy. He explores the importance of dialog between Zen Buddhism and Neoplatonism, discussing how personal mystical experiences shape understanding. Topics like the pilgrimage of philosophy, dialogical practices versus debates, and the convergence of wisdom across traditions are highlighted. Repetti argues for the enriching potential of Neoplatonic tools in Zen and how Zen can temper over-intellectualization, promoting a balance in spiritual practice.

How do we rebuild trust and meaning in a world where certainty and connection are breaking down?   In this episode of The Lectern, John welcomes Kieran McCammon and Jordan Hall to discuss the 'trust apocalypse' and its intersection with the meaning crisis. They delve into the vicious cycle between the loss of trust and the fragmentation of communities, exploring how these issues reverberate through society. Kieran introduces his work on the Trust Foundation, which aims to address these challenges by leveraging collective agency, distributed cognition, and extended distributed labor. John and Jordan bring their expertise to discuss the deeper topics related to trust, faith, and the sacred, and how these concepts tie into addressing contemporary societal issues. They also highlight how we are at a pivotal moment where new forms of technology and community organization could help counteract the prevailing distrust and meaning crisis.   Jordan Hall is a futurist, systems strategist, and cultural philosopher exploring the deep structures shaping human coordination, meaning-making, and collective intelligence. A former tech executive and early internet pioneer, Jordan now works at the intersection of theory and practice, developing frameworks for catalytic communities capable of responding to complex, civilizational-scale challenges. His work emphasizes the collapse of trust-based and certainty-driven systems, proposing instead a reorientation toward spirit-infused participation, sacred purpose, and voluntary necessity. A key contributor to the Trust Foundation, Jordan draws on cybernetics, epistemology, and meta-theory to guide the emergence of post-bureaucratic forms of social coherence and institutional renewal.   Keiron McCammon is a technology entrepreneur and systems thinker whose work addresses the intersection of social trust, digital infrastructure, and collective agency. A veteran of Silicon Valley's early Web 2.0 era, he helped build the foundations of the social internet before turning his focus to the unintended consequences of digital connectivity. As co-founder of the Trust Foundation, Keiron investigates the societal breakdown he terms the "trust apocalypse," analyzing how technological design, institutional failure, and civic fragmentation have eroded our collective sense of meaning and belonging. Drawing on frameworks from network theory, systems thinking, and military innovation, his work catalyzes action-oriented communities aimed at rebuilding trust across personal, institutional, and technological domains.   The Trust Foundation Sunday Labs The Philosophical Silk Road Project   (00:00) – Introduction and excitement for the conversation (00:30) – Introducing Kieran McCammon and the trust apocalypse (01:30) – Exploring the trust apocalypse and its implications (04:00) – Kieran's background and the evolution of trust issues (05:00) – The role of technology and the breakdown of trust (06:30) – The Trust Foundation and catalytic communities (11:00) – The deep connection between trust and meaning (18:00) – Historical context and the collapse of certainty (28:00) – The need for a shared sacred canopy (30:50) – "A catalytic community can't exist without a calling—a sacred purpose that's bigger than any one of us." (39:00) – Challenges of technology and cross-cultural pluralism (47:30) – Exploring voluntary necessity (49:00) – Certainty vs. trust (50:30) – The breakdown of societal trust (52:00) – The role of technology in trust erosion (54:00) – The attention economy and trustworthy AI (01:02:00) – The concept of abundance vs. scarcity (01:10:00) – Cultivating wisdom and trust (01:23:00) – The spiritual war and meaning crisis (01:27:00) – Call to action: building catalytic communities       —   The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. Become a part of our mission.    Join Awaken to Meaning to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships.    —   Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode   Philosophical Silk Road Trust Apocalypse Meaning Crisis Collective agency Epistemology of trust Deep knowing by participation Certainty vs. trust Relevance realization Reflective equilibrium (between theory and practice Chris Lich Robert Putnam Clement of Alexandria Bishop Maximus Jonathan Pageau David Hume (implied via discussion on skepticism) G.W Leibniz and René Descartes (mentioned re: Enlightenment certainty) Team of Teams by Gen. Stanley McChrystal Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam The Upswing by Robert Putnam Tim Berners-Lee's open letter on the internet Aspen Institute report on Information Disorder   Follow John Vervaeke: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon

Bishop Maximus, a prominent Orthodox bishop and scholar, bridges ancient Christian thought with modern philosophical inquiry. He discusses the integration of faith and reason through figures like Clement of Alexandria, countering modern skepticism with a robust epistemological framework. The conversation explores the problem of induction, revealing faith as an active engagement that shapes knowledge and moral action. Additionally, they examine how Clement’s ideas resonate with contemporary issues in metaphysics and the transformative power of revelation in navigating complex realities.

Journey through the Philosophical Silk Road, where sacred insights bloom among historic places. Explore the transformative concept of theosis and the interplay between spirituality and personal agency. Dive into sacred pluralism, encouraging understanding across diverse faiths while nurturing one’s own beliefs. Engage with ideas about autonomy, community, and the sacred, proposing a new spirituality rooted in embodied experiences. Reflect on human limitations and potential transcendence through rich philosophical discussions that challenge contemporary nihilism.

Matthew Schaublin, a Master’s candidate in psychology focused on authenticity, joins Gregg Henriques, a psychologist and professor, to dive deep into the nature of authenticity. They explore how authenticity is shaped not just by our inner selves, but through meaningful relationships and communion with others. Their research reveals that genuine experiences often arise from emotional connections rather than solitary reflection. The conversation critiques traditional views of selfhood, advocating for a more dynamic understanding of agency intertwined with social influences.

James Filler, a philosopher and theologian known for his expertise in metaphysics and substance ontology, dives deep into the meaning crisis affecting contemporary thought. He explores the complex implications of substance ontology, critiques modern dualism, and champions a relational understanding of existence. Filler also discusses the themes of isolation and community in literature, offering insights on self-transcendence and divine connections. He critiques the decline of liturgical authority in Christianity, questioning the true accessibility of spiritual teachings.