The Idea of Symbol | Dr. John Vervaeke and Bishop Maximus | Q&A | Part 2
Published 2023-07-07
Here they work together to answer the question, "Is it possible that our ideas about the world are iconographical representations of the world that also allow symbolic representation in the Dionysian sense of symbol?"
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SAINT PHOTIOS ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY (S.P.O.T.S.) WEBSITE: www.spots.edu/
CHURCH OF THE GENUINE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS OF AMERICA (GOC) WEBSITE:
www.hotca.org/
Dr. Vervaeke Bio: Dr. John Vervaeke is an Associate Professor, in the teaching stream. He has been teaching at the University of Toronto since 1994. He currently teaches courses in the Psychology department on thinking and reasoning with an emphasis on insight problem solving, cognitive development with an emphasis on the dynamical nature of development, and higher cognitive processes with an emphasis on intelligence, rationality, mindfulness, and the Psychology of wisdom. He is the director of the Cognitive Science program where he also teaches courses on the introduction to Cognitive Science, and the Cognitive Science of consciousness wherein he emphasizes 4E (embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended) models of cognition and consciousness . In addition, he taught a course in the Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health program on Buddhism and Cognitive Science for fifteen years. He is the director of the Consciousness and the Wisdom Studies Laboratory. He has won and been nominated for several teaching awards including the 2001 Students' Administrative Council and Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students Teaching Award for the Humanities, and the 2012 Ranjini Ghosh Excellence in Teaching Award. He has published articles on relevance realization, general intelligence, mindfulness, flow, metaphor, and wisdom. He is first author of the book Zombies in Western Culture: A 21st Century crisis which integrates Psychology and Cognitive Science to address the meaning crisis in Western society. He is the author and presenter of the YouTube series, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, and the series After Socrates.
All Comments (18)
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I love that John can go from a calm, humble, and receptive state to an extremely passionate and active one in a matter of seconds. I am truly enjoying the collaboration between these two men, and worlds. Thank you.
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Yes! I am in the process of re-watching the three video series between Bishop Maximus and Vervaeke on Vervaeke's channel. These q and a's are a stellar supplement. Thanks SPOTS for hosting.
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He is explaining what Saint Thomas Aquinas described already but doing it in a very materialistic way so that this modern era can get a grasp into it.
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At 20:05 priceless: Understanding towards Interstanding
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Looking thru a symbol focuses on a higher power, like gazing at a sheaf of wheat symbol while eating bread and ruminating. The question for me is what higher power is being focused on the person in that example.
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đŻ Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 01:10 đ§ A compreensĂŁo do conceito de sĂmbolo nĂŁo Ă© exclusiva da Ortodoxia, mas Ă© altamente valorizada e tem um papel central na tradição e prĂĄtica ortodoxas. 04:17 đ A Igreja Ortodoxa considera sĂmbolos como meios de representar padrĂ”es que se estendem por vĂĄrias manifestaçÔes, permitindo a participação simbĂłlica em nĂveis mais elevados da realidade. 06:13 đ A visĂŁo simbĂłlica da Igreja Ortodoxa nĂŁo Ă© uma alternativa Ă teoria da conformidade do conhecimento, mas sim uma forma de obter acesso adicional aos padrĂ”es, oferecendo diferentes perspectivas sobre eles. 09:45 đ A atenção nĂŁo Ă© apenas um foco direto em algo, mas um processo adverbial que modifica nossa percepção e nos permite ver atravĂ©s de padrĂ”es, descobrindo informaçÔes sutis e relacionando aspectos aparentemente desconectados. 13:01 đ§ O imaginal permite que usemos a imaginação de maneira sĂ©ria para aprofundar nossa percepção e compreensĂŁo do mundo, descobrindo realidades nĂŁo perceptĂveis por meio da mera imaginação. 17:21 đ O simbolismo, quando visto como icĂŽnico em vez de meramente representacional, nos permite ver atravĂ©s dele, captando a essĂȘncia daquilo que Ă© representado, em vez de se limitar Ă superfĂcie da imagem. 28:41 đ Explicar conceitos complexos atravĂ©s de exemplos e linguagem acessĂvel pode ser valioso para ajudar pessoas de diferentes origens religiosas ou seculares a compreender ideias religiosas e a conectar-se com elas de forma mais profunda. 30:06 đ€ As conversas e interaçÔes produtivas entre diferentes tradiçÔes religiosas ou visĂ”es de mundo podem ser enriquecedoras e promover a compreensĂŁo mĂștua e o crescimento pessoal, independentemente das diferenças em crenças e prĂĄticas. Made with
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The distinction between subsidiary awareness and focal awareness is very helpful. I think it helps make the power of symbol as psychotechnology more available as a means of cultivating virtue and reducing folly. Glasses on, glasses off. Thanks to all involved for this very fruitful discussion!
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Thank you †this was magnificent. Very clear.
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I pray your personal enjoyment of being with one another was as rich as the intellectual stimulation. Thank you, both for taking the time!
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Brilliant. Thank you đ
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Excellent work as always
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Wonderful conversation. And those mugs, love them!
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Wow, 2 parts. Thank you for doing these, in spite of my blunt critique of Dr. Vervaeke.
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Amazing
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Art is in this space between words and icons...Great art communicates the unspeakable.
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Thank you for more Maximus and Vervaeke content. Great to hear more about the convergence of Neoplatonism, Orthodox Christianity and Cog Sci. I'd be interested to know if Vervaeke is aware of the work of Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
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I feel like this conversation would be perfect for Jonathan Pageau.
