Exploring Predictive Processing and the Science of Happiness with Mark Miller

In this episode of The Lectern, host Ethan Hsieh sits down with philosopher and cognitive scientist Mark Miller to explore the science of predictive processing and its implications for happiness, meaning, and wellbeing.

They unpack how the brain is not a passive receiver of reality, but an active prediction engine—constantly generating its best guesses about the world and updating them through experience. From belief formation and perception to resilience, virtue, play, and mindfulness, the conversation bridges cutting-edge cognitive science with ancient contemplative wisdom.

Together, Ethan and Mark discuss how understanding the predictive nature of the mind can transform how we relate to uncertainty, cultivate agency, and develop a deeper, more participatory sense of happiness—both individually and collectively.

This episode also introduces Mark Miller’s upcoming course, Generations of Joy, which explores these ideas through neuroscience, philosophy, and contemplative practice.

Sign up for the course:
https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/courses/generations-of-joy

 

00:00 Welcome back to The Lectern
02:30 Mark Miller’s background and research focus
06:00 Predictive processing and cognitive science
09:00 Belief, perception, and meaning-making
10:18 “You’re not seeing the world—you’re seeing your best guess about the world.”
13:00 Course overview and key themes
27:00 Honesty, virtue, and transformation
39:30 Practical applications and course dynamics
41:30 Real-world implications of science
43:00 Emptiness, neuroscience, and insight
43:30 The frame problem in cognitive science
45:30 Optimism vs. pessimism: locking onto the world
46:30 Training the mind to discern
47:30 The interpretive nature of reality
52:00 The role of play in cognitive development
56:00 Managing uncertainty through play
01:12:30 Mindfulness and emerging evidence
01:22:00 The Transformational Neuroscience course

 

Mark Miller is a philosopher and cognitive scientist whose work bridges philosophy, neuroscience, and contemplative science. His research explores how the predictive brain shapes happiness, wellbeing, and meaning in a technologically saturated world.

He is a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University’s Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (Australia), cross-affiliated with the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto (Canada), and a visiting researcher at Hokkaido University’s Centre for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence, and Neuroscience (Japan).

Website: https://www.markdmiller.live/

 

Ethan Hsieh is a facilitator, educator, and philosophical practitioner working at the intersection of performance, cognition, and transformative pedagogy. He is the creator of TIAMAT, a three-tier developmental framework integrating cognitive science, dialogical philosophy, and embodied practice.

Through immersive learning environments and collaborative inquiry, Ethan helps individuals cultivate virtuosity as a way of life—emphasizing participatory sense-making, metacognitive mapping, and shared agency. His work with the 5toMidnight collective focuses on building deliberately developmental communities grounded in relational ontology and lived philosophical transformation.