A Thorough Critique of Popular and Psychological Accounts of Meaning of Life
Dr. John Vervaeke
This is John’s second video essay, and it delivers a thorough critique of contemporary theories of meaning in life. With his student Arjun Arora assisting, John dismantles the standard psychological and folk categories — purpose, coherence, significance, and mattering — showing why they fall short of capturing the depth of what “meaning” actually is. Arjun Arora is a cognitive science and physics scholar whose work bridges science, philosophy, and the search for meaning. As a student collaborator of Dr. John Vervaeke at the University of Toronto, Arora explores questions at the...
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Silk Road Seminar - Jonathan Pageau
Dr. John Vervaeke
Thank you for joining us for our monthly Silk Road Seminar! Today’s guest is Jonathan Pageau is a Canadian artist, writer, and public thinker exploring the patterns that unite art, symbolism, and meaning. As an icon carver and lecturer on symbolic thinking, Jonathan has become a prominent voice in the growing movement to recover traditional ways of seeing the world. His work brings together theology, myth, and modern culture to help audiences rediscover the sacred patterns underlying reality. He is the host of The Symbolic World, a popular podcast and YouTube channel where he examines...
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Virtuosity as a Way of Life | Ethan Hsieh and the Tiamat Process
Dr. John Vervaeke
Something is coming: https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/p/whatnext What if mastery isn’t about perfection—but about transformation? In this episode of The Lectern, John Vervaeke is joined by Ethan Hsieh to explore how the cultivation of virtuosity—typically associated with the arts—can become central to philosophical and existential growth. Ethan introduces his Tiamat process, a three-tier developmental framework integrating performance training, cognitive science, and dialogical practice. Together, they explore what it means to live a deliberately developmental life, moving...
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Silk Road Seminar - Elizabeth Oldfield
Dr. John Vervaeke
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...
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Exploring Jewish Neoplatonism: The Life and Philosophy of Solomon Ibn Gabirol
Dr. John Vervaeke
Watch the first episode of our new season of Lectern Dialogues! This season’s guest is Zevi Slavin. Zevi Slavin is a philosopher, educator, and public scholar whose work explores the intersections of mysticism and philosophy across traditions. As the creator of Seekers of Unity, he is dedicated to reviving and reinterpreting the voices of philosophical mystics, with a focus on Jewish thought and its dialogue with Greek and Islamic philosophy. A leading voice in the study of Jewish Neoplatonism, Slavin highlights figures such as Solomon Ibn Gabirol, whose integration of poetry, metaphysics,...
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Why Reason Needs Spirit | John Vervaeke
Dr. John Vervaeke
Thank you for joining us for this in-depth solo lecture from Dr. John Vervaeke, where he continues his exploration of cognition, meaning, and spirit from the perspective of relevance realization and predictive processing. In this talk, John takes us on a journey through the architecture of the mind, explaining how voluntary necessity, scientific idealization, and porous participation form the basis of how we understand ourselves and the world. He unpacks the imaginal dimension of cognition, the deep entanglement of anticipation and rationality, and how the fellowship of the spirit provides an...
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Silk Road Seminar - Rick Repetti
Dr. John Vervaeke
Thank you for joining us LIVE for our monthly Silk Road Seminar! Today’s guest is Rick Repetti. 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 . Currently enrolled university students at all levels up to doctoral studies get free...
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Navigating the Trust Apocalypse: Examining Collective Agency and Distributed Cognitio
Dr. John Vervaeke
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...
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Silk Road Seminar - Bishop Maximus
Dr. John Vervaeke
Bishop Maximus is a theologian, scholar, and Orthodox bishop whose work bridges ancient Christian thought with contemporary philosophical inquiry. A leading voice in the revival of patristic epistemology, he focuses on the integration of faith and reason through figures such as Clement of Alexandria. His research explores how early Christian thinkers synthesized Greek philosophy with theological doctrine, offering compelling alternatives to modern skepticism. Bishop Maximus is a key contributor to the Philosophical Silk Road project, advocating for the transformative power of faith as both...
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The Philosophical Silk Road: A Journey to Rediscovering Theosis and Sacred Pluralism
Dr. John Vervaeke
The Calling to Reorient the Self How can the sacred be recovered in a world fractured by autonomy and fragmentation? In this deeply personal episode of Kainos on The Lectern, recorded during a session hosted by Alexander Beiner on Kainos, John Vervaeke shares reflections from his recent pilgrimage across Europe—what he calls the Philosophical Silk Road. Weaving through sacred conversations and historic locations, he explores profound ideas like theosis, theoria, and voluntary necessity, inviting listeners into a lived philosophy of sacred participation. From Istanbul to Rome to Amsterdam,...
info_outlineAs AI continues to advance and integrate into our daily lives, can it truly be designed to align with our deepest human values and moral principles? If so, how can we ensure that AI not only understands but also respects and promotes our ethical frameworks, without compromising our privacy or hindering our personal growth and autonomy?
John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, and Jordan Hall embark on a nuanced exploration of the intricate relationship between AI and human flourishing. They explore the concept of "intimate AI," a personalized guardian that attunes to individual biometrics and psychometrics, offering a protective and challenging presence. The discussion underscores the critical importance of privacy, the perils of idolatry, and the urgent need for a new philosophical framework that addresses the meaning crisis.
Jordan Hall is a technology entrepreneur with several years of experience building disruptive companies. He is interested in philosophy, artificial intelligence, and complex systems and has a background in law. Hall has worked for several technology companies and was the founder and CEO of DivX. He is currently involved in various think tanks and institutes and is focused on upgrading humanity's capacity for thought and action.
Christopher Mastropietro is a philosophical writer who is fascinated by dialogue, symbols, and the concept of self. He actively contributes to the Vervaeke Foundation.
Notes:
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(0:00) Introduction to the Lectern
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(0:30) Overview of Today’s Discussion: Can AI be in Alignment with Human Values?
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(1:00) The Three-Point Proposal - Individual Attunement, Decentralized and Distributed AI, Guardian AI
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(6:30) Individual AI Attunement
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(8:30) Distributed AI and Collective Intelligence
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(8:45) Empowerment of Agency through AI
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(12:30) The Role of Intimacy in AI Alignment - Why Relationality Matters
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(22:00) Can AI Help Develop Human Integrity? - The Challenge of Self-Alignment
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(28:00) Cultural and Enculturation Challenges
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(31:30) AI, Culture, and the Reintegration of Human Rhythms
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(38:00) Addressing Cocooning and Cultural Integration
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(47:00) Domains of Enculturation - Psychological, Economic, and Intersubjective
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(48:30) ”We're not looking necessarily for a teacher as much as we were looking for the teacherly opportunity in the encounters we're having.”
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(51:00) The Sanctity of Privacy and Vulnerability
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(1:07:00) The Role of Intimacy in Privacy
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(1:13:00) Final Reflections
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John Vervaeke: Website | X | YouTube | Patreon
Jordan Hall: YouTube | Medium | X
Christopher Mastropietro: Vervaeke Foundation
Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode
Christopher Mastropietro
Jordan Hall
Jordan Peterson
James Filler
Spinoza
Marshall McLuhan
Plato
Immanuel Kant
The AI Alignment Problem
Decentralized & Personal AI as a Solution
The Role of Intimacy in AI Alignment
Enculturation & AI’s Role in Human Integrity
Privacy as More Than Just Protection
The Republic – by Plato
Critique of Pure Reason – by Immanuel Kant
The Idea of the Holy – by Rudolf Otto
Interpretation of Cultures – by Clifford Geertz