Ep. 1 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Introduction

New videos released every Friday.

List of Books in the Video:

•Michael Anderson - After Phrenology: Neural Reuse and the Interactive Brain
•Barry Boyce (Editor) - The Mindfulness Revolution: Leading Psychologists, Scientists, Artists, and Meditation Teachers on the Power of Mindfulness in Daily Life
•Andy Clark - Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence
•Michel Ferrari and Nic Weststrate (Editors) - The Scientific Study of Personal Wisdom: From Contemplative Traditions to Neuroscience
•Harry Frankfurt – On Bullsh*t
•David Lewis-Williams - The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
•L. A. Paul - Transformative Experience
•Massimo Pigliucci - How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life
•Matt Rossano - Supernatural Selection: How Religion Evolved
•Daniel Siegel - Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation
•Steve Taylor - Waking From Sleep: Why Awakening Experiences Occur and How to Make Them Permanent
•John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, and Filip Miscevic - Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis
•Michael Winkelman - Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing
•Susan Wolf - Meaning in Life and Why It Matters

First episode of Dr. John Vervaeke's Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.

[rawasmhd]

When you strike gold in the Mines of YouTube.. It's rare and an ecstatic experience.

[tobyharper]

Coming to this from Lex Fridman, thank you to everyone who listens to this kind of thing, these times are so difficult on so many levels but it is discussions and peoples interest in things like this that gives me hope.

[aellsworth]

The deeper I get into these videos, the more convinced I become that they represent one of the greatest resources and public goods available to people, and remain relevant for any age. For anybody who has struggled with the Meaning Crisis, the lethargy, aimlessness, or frustration of depression, a pointless job, or chronically experienced pathology of any intensity - you can appreciate the sheer amount of lost ‘productive’ people hours, and the future ones that are at stake. Without reducing it to pure utilitarianism, think simply of the consequences of the compounding effects of knowing this when you’re 30 vs when you’re 40; a life sidetracked even temporarily by aimlessness and despair has a cost that we are often at a loss to accurately quantify, but if it is already enormous in an individual life, it is pure tragedy when added up among the many it affects, not to mention the complimentary effects that are lost by having many people committed to their own self-actualization available to network and cooperate together. This compilation should be considered Nobel-level stuff, IMHO. Thank you, Mr. Vervaeke.
(Though, on the other hand, if everybody suddenly became bullshit-proof, the entire economy might collapse, but that’s another story…)

[DannyTaylor-Smith]

"People go to therapy to regain their lost sense of knowing..."

I was diagnosed with ASD when I was 8 years old. Until I was 23, I thought I was going to basically fail at life and that I was always in the wrong.
My therapist told me, "You realise, statistically, you can't be wrong 100% of the time, right? People make mistakes. There must have been a few times where you were chastised for no other reason than they were wrong."

And my mind exploded. And I burst into tears.

What the therapist had told me was technically true. I might be in the wrong "sometimes" but not always.

My whole entire perception on life transformed literally overnight. Suddenly I didn't feel like a victim anymore.

[nicholibaldron]

Book List:
1:21 - The Mindfulness Revolution by Boyce
2:15 - The Scientific Study of Personal Wisdom by Ferrari & Weststrate
2:32 - How To Be a Stoic by Pigliucci
4:26 - Meaning in Life by Wolf
4:58 - Transformative Experience by Paul
6:43 - Zombies in Western Culture by Vervaeke, Mastropietro & Miscevic
7:07 - On Bullshit by Frankfurt
31:06 - Supernatural Selection by Rossano
36:38 - Mindsight by Siegel
39:55 - After Phrenology by Anderson
42:53 - Shamanism (2nd edition) by Winkelman
44:27 - The Mind In The Cave by Lewis-Williams
45:30 - Natural-Born Cyborgs by Clark
51:00 - Waking From Sleep by Taylor





This is a great lecture, and his high energy/enthusiasm makes it easy to follow along. He knows where to punctuate his points, and where to offer analogies to strengthen understanding. This man is one of the great professors.

[shermanhoman]

First pass: I'm doing things around the house, listening on headphones.
Second pass: Still listening on headphones, sitting still, taking notes.

[AktivistMusik]

It's unbelievable that we have access to these "wells" of wisdom at the click of a button.

For

[ChocolateJewels]

And I’m ecstatic that Jordan Peterson made me aware of you! Deeply grateful.

[protestanttoorthodox]

"I can't be unbiased that's not a thing." LOL the honesty is refreshing

[michealhuver]

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, foolishness is a lack of wisdom - that hit me

[jakubeden]

Dear Prof. Vervaeke
I've listened to whole series 6 months ago and it completely undermined my "bubble of ignorance". I am 20 years old and I felt as if my fundamental beliefs and ways of perception has been changed, but it was too much information overload for me to vitaly absorb everything and make a organized whole of it and I rather felt into kind of chaos conflicting worldviews. But I am going through all the lectures again bit by bit with notebook, writing down core concepts, reflecting and integrating. Thank you SO MUCH for your work, you have my unspeakable admiration. This has been the most "awe inspiring" series I've ever listened too. Greetings from Czech Republic
With gratitude
Jakub

[SamuelWalker-bvgh]

Man I needed this so badly. I’m 23 and this existential crisis is hitting me so hard that it’s ruining my life in every small fabric. I hope this helps me in any way

[SanjuroSan]

Just came here from your JBP conversation. *cracks open a drink and takes out a notebook*

If you see this message John, your introducing Peterson to the difference of propositional and participatory helped me so much to make a huge breakthrough in my perspectives. I have been stuck where Jordan seemed stuck and, in my case, coping with my own feelings towards God\reality. I was so happy to now have a new way to view what I was wrestling with that aligned so many things that seemed to be at odds. For that alone, thank you thank you thank you thank you! I feel more confident than ever about teaching my son about the world and to continue my journey of understanding.

Time to start your series from the beginning.

[pkaah]

I cannot thank you enough! Nothing has excited me as much as this for many years. It's like having Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts and a dash of Carl Sagan all together.

[tomatoish]

I have no idea what Jordan's motivation was having you on his podcast, but the fact that he did not let you speak inspired me to listen to your work. Your patience and levelheadedness despite being cutoff and dismissed was inspiring.

[sebastiangheorghiu]

This is the type of stuff thats constantly looping in my head and the future of our society. Most of the time I feel like I am the only one whos thinking about this stuff and I constantly get depressed because I feel like I am alone. I also know there are social and worldly hints and I see patterns. All this is supernatural and interconnected somehow. But if you mute the bullshit, sit silently and listen to the world, your eyes will open and you will see. Thank you for making these series.

[avilash]

Wow… it never ceases to amaze me how all this knowledge is free. Thank you sir!!

[alisaruddell]

Coming back to episode 1 after listening my way through the whole series! It’s so good! This might need to be an annual ritual for me.

[Itssleepaviation]

Dear John, after having listened to 50 hours, I feel close enough to call you by your first name. You have been a great influence in my life and I am grateful that you made these videos available to everyone here. May all your wishes come true. You have a follower in me for life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤

[cashflow]

WOW when Mr. Vervacke described how the shaman became the deer I got goose bumps. I am retired, but in my job in tool & die they would often bring me in to diagnose a machine that was malfunctioning. I know it sounds crazy but if I could feel/become the machine. I could see in my mind why the machine could behave in the manner it was. Never heard anyone describe the feeling so well.