The Meaning Crisis: Resolution | Dr. John Vervaeke | EP 482

Coming up (0s)

• Jesus embodied and exemplified the concept of Agape, deemed the most excellent way by Paul. (5s)
• Agape had the power to elevate the marginalized individuals within the Roman Empire, including women, children, widows, slaves, the poor, and non-Romans, to the status of persons. (10s)
• The transformative power of Agape, capable of turning non-persons into persons, led to its dominance over the Roman Empire and the ancient world. (28s)

Intro (36s)

• The speakers will be discussing the meaning crisis and potential solutions. (1m19s)
• Part of the discussion will focus on the concept of a "new advent of the Sacred" and what that means from various perspectives, including philosophical, scientific, and theological. (1m37s)
• The conversation will also touch upon Peterson Academy and its role in addressing the meaning crisis. (1m48s)

The Gospel seminar, “it was a very healing moment for me” (3m32s)

• An individual's experience at a gospel seminar led to a profound re-mentioning of Jesus of Nazareth. (3m46s)
• This individual found a sense of healing and a connection to the concept of the logos, which they define as the pursuit of truth. (7m6s)
• This pursuit of truth is a form of truth itself and aligns with the individual's life's work. (8m25s)

“Foundations of the West,” the proper alignment between the Gospel accounts and Western civilization (8m59s)

• The combination of Greek philosophy, which emphasizes the existence of an inherent logic in the world, and Judeo-Christian beliefs, which posit humans as rational beings, forms a foundation of Western Civilization. (9m18s)
• Conceptualizing the Gospel in this way reunites rationality and myth, which is crucial in contemporary times. (10m2s)
• The discussion centers around existential truth, which is realized through personal transformation and embodiment, rather than solely propositional truth. (10m20s)

Bridging the Ancient Greek philosophers to the Christian ethos (10m36s)

• There is a historical perspective that suggests Greek philosophical thought and Christian theological thought share a common spiritual source. (11m7s)
• The Greek concept of "logos" centers on the idea of unifying disparate elements to create understanding and intelligibility. (11m18s)
• The Hebrew understanding of "logos" focuses on the power of language and thought to shape and bring into being reality, both in a limited human sense and a more absolute, divine sense. (11m26s)

“We Who Wrestle With God,” the book, the tour, and Dawkins (13m28s)

• A new book titled "We Who Wrestle With God" will be released in November. (13m30s)
• The book draws upon the work of Richard Dawkins, who argues that biological organisms are microcosms of their environments. (13m36s)
• The book explores the idea that if humans are reflections of their environment, then their personalities might reflect the essence of the cosmos. (14m52s)

Neoplatonism — unrealized potential, down to the level of atoms, suggests an implicate order (15m28s)

• There is unrealized potential in matter, as evidenced by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen to form water and the increasing complexity of matter. (15m58s)
• This potential suggests an implicate order within matter, rather than random manifestation. (16m14s)
• Neoplatonism suggests both bottom-up emergence and top-down emanation, where higher levels constrain lower levels, influencing the possibilities of emergence. (16m57s)

When brilliant thinkers and theologians submit themselves to the spirit of the logos (17m28s)

• The speaker recently finished writing a follow-up volume to a previously published book. (17m44s)
• The speaker found a recent seminar helpful in finishing their book. (17m53s)
• The speaker believes the seminar participants were more interested in learning than being right. (18m37s)

The love of wisdom versus the love of victory, the use of power to compel order does not bring unity (19m17s)

• Socrates distinguished between “philo-sophia” (the love of wisdom) and “philo-noia” (the love of victory), stating that the pursuit of victory hinders the pursuit of wisdom. (19m17s)
• It is suggested that power can be used to achieve a semblance of unity, but it often leads to resistance and rebellion. (20m4s)
• The use of force and compulsion to enforce order is contrasted with the concept of “logos,” which represents genuine exploration and self-transcendence as a more effective means of fostering unity. (20m21s)

Reason, love, beauty: voluntary necessities (21m53s)

• Reason is desired to be compelling yet voluntary. (22m5s)
• Love, like reason, is a voluntary necessity, compelling individuals without force. (22m37s)
• Beauty, reason, and love are interconnected, with beauty compelling individuals due to an emergent harmony of values within oneself. (25m23s)

Different notions of faith, the deeper meaning of “understanding” (26m49s)

• Faith is the recognition of the power of primordial presuppositions that are central to participating in truth, goodness, and beauty. (27m4s)
• There is a difference between science generating knowledge and science generating understanding. (29m33s)
• Understanding is a way of grasping the significance of what is known. (29m19s)

Higher order ethical virtue, psychopathology and maturation (31m5s)

• Two-year-old children are primarily egocentric and struggle with sharing and engaging in cooperative play. (31m21s)
• As children mature, they learn to consider the perspectives and desires of others, leading to the formation of friendships and the ability to unify their motivations with those of others. (31m52s)
• Play is an indicator of emotional and motivational harmony, oriented towards the future and the maintenance of social interaction. (34m24s)

A very powerful argument against moral relativism (34m40s)

• There are a limited number of ways to structure dialogue to ensure long-term participation from all parties involved. (34m41s)
• Universal principles are necessary for dialogue, which is crucial for a functioning society, especially a democracy. (35m32s)
• The right to engage in dialogue is essential for maintaining and developing a society, as it enables stability and growth over extended periods. (38m31s)

Distributed cognition via correctly oriented dialogical machinery (38m55s)

• Dialogical systems create the possibility of distributed cognition, similar to how the internet facilitates distributed computation. (39m0s)
• Distributed cognition, when functioning with the proper biological machinery, can access and interact with reality. (39m24s)
• NASA scientists utilize dialogical narrative practices to coordinate cognitive efforts for maneuvering rovers on Mars. (39m47s)

Peterson Academy: intellectual autonomy with the world’s greatest thinkers (40m4s)

• The speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to teach courses on any subject they desired and highlights the professionalism and support received from the platform's staff. (41m9s)
• The speaker emphasizes the intellectual autonomy granted throughout the course creation process, allowing them to freely express their viewpoints and explore topics without limitations. (42m8s)
• The conversation highlights the positive aspects of the platform, particularly the freedom it offers educators to teach without constraints and the opportunity to share their unique perspectives with a wider audience. (43m25s)

Pre-enrollment success: 30,000 students already (43m36s)

• A pre-enrollment period was launched to test the system, gauge user response, and assess pricing. (43m41s)
• The pre-enrollment period resulted in 30,000 people signing up, exceeding expectations and indicating a successful price point. (44m1s)
• The platform will launch on September 9th, providing access to courses and a social media platform designed for academic interaction. (47m9s)

X is a snake pit and a looking glass (47m57s)

• Twitter is described as a useful but toxic platform for staying current with trends and identifying potential podcast guests. (47m57s)
• The speaker feels it is necessary to stay informed about current events and political dynamics for their podcast. (48m32s)
• There is a hope that the platform being discussed will facilitate social connections between individuals interested in ideas. (48m58s)

An eye to the future: building out digital meeting spaces and the potential for real life lectures and cruises (49m44s)

• Students enrolled in all three courses found the experience transformative and bonded over the shared journey, ideas, and discourse space. (49m53s)
• Future plans include course-centered chat rooms, student-organized meetups, specialized cruises, and conventions in major population centers. (50m11s)
• The potential for in-person experiences, such as lectures and conventions, is expected to increase due to the rise of AI and the prevalence of non-real content online. (51m53s)

Deeper into the “We Who Wrestle with God” tour, grace in the throes of fame and notoriety (52m3s)

• A person describes their positive experience touring with another person, noting the "electricity" and deep conversations they shared. (52m4s)
• The person recounts how they observed the other person treating their staff with grace and kindness, despite their fame and influence. (54m47s)
• The other person explains their management style, emphasizing delegation, trust in their team, and the importance of treating the audience well. (55m47s)

Vervaeke’s ongoing work with the meaning crisis (1h0m42s)

• The speaker's book, "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis," will be released on the 29th of the current month in two parts. (1h0m59s)
• The book delves into the historical context of the meaning crisis, exploring its causes and implications, and examines the cognitive science of meaning in life. (1h2m31s)
• The speaker believes their strength lies in integrating knowledge from various disciplines, identifying patterns, and presenting a comprehensive understanding with existential significance. (1h2m54s)

“The fact that there is a meaning crisis is actually evidence that things are not meaningless” (1h4m13s)

• The experience of a meaning crisis, while distressing, is not unique to any one individual and follows recognizable patterns. (1h4m29s)
• The fact that humans experience a meaning crisis suggests that existence is not inherently meaningless, as some atheistic viewpoints propose. (1h5m17s)
• Recognizing that the "death of God" and the accompanying meaning crisis are recurring themes throughout history can be a source of comfort, demonstrating that it is a temporary state and not an immutable aspect of reality. (1h6m39s)

Vervaeke was raised as a fundamentalist Christian, religious dread (1h7m7s)

• He was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family and retrospectively, after therapy, he realized some of those experiences were traumatic. (1h7m31s)
• He found the pastor's response to his anxiety about the unforgivable sin to be platitudinous and unhelpful. (1h8m34s)
• He rejected Christianity and became an antagonistic atheist materialist after reading a science fiction book that introduced him to Buddhism and Hinduism. (1h8m51s)

Deep nihilism and science fiction, when Vervaeke met Socrates (1h11m15s)

• An individual experienced a period of deep nihilism for three to four years, beginning at the age of 15. (1h11m15s)
• This individual found solace in science fiction, particularly the works of authors like Roger Zelazny, which explored themes of myth, science, philosophy, and religion. (1h11m46s)
• Upon entering university, the individual enrolled in a philosophy course where they encountered the works of Socrates, specifically "The Republic," which provided a new perspective on rationality, spirituality, and transcendence that aligned with their interest in science and reason. (1h12m46s)

Self correction, Neoplatonism in Eastern philosophy (1h14m39s)

• The axiomatic revolution brought about the realization that our meaning-making processes, while empowering, are also the source of much of our suffering. (1h15m3s)
• Socrates serves as an example of someone who embraced the pursuit of wisdom (logos) and demonstrated courage in the face of death, highlighting the transformative power of questioning. (1h15m31s)
• Eastern philosophical practices, such as Tai Chi and meditation, along with the study of figures like Lao Tzu and Sartre, provided an alternative path to understanding wisdom and meaning. (1h16m28s)

Agape defined, why the Roman Empire really fell (1h17m29s)

• There are three kinds of love: Eros, Philia, and Agape. (1h17m46s)
• Agape is the love a parent has for a child, a love that helps them develop into a fully realized person. (1h18m24s)
• Agape, exemplified by Jesus and his teachings, is described as a powerful force that can transform individuals into fully realized persons, ultimately leading to the conquering of the Roman Empire. (1h19m42s)

Embodying the logos versus adhering to the propositional, the Cartesian problem (1h20m23s)

• An individual's attempt to live and embody the logos, prioritizing it over doctrines, was interpreted as a genuine expression of Christianity. (1h20m57s)
• The "propositional tyranny," reducing belief to a set of propositions, is criticized for neglecting the existential aspect of belief and its embodiment through emotions and motivations. (1h21m25s)
• The Cartesian project is challenged for assuming a universal method can grant access to universal truths without requiring existential transformation, highlighting the importance of personal growth and meaning-making in understanding truth. (1h22m58s)