John Vervaeke: Rituals are rational
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Published 2023-12-24
All around us are signs of crisis. UnHerdās Flo Read and philosopher and cognitive scientist John Vervaeke sat down at the UnHerd Club to diagnose the alienation and anxiety that pervades our contemporary culture. Is a āmeaning crisisā at the root of all the other crises we face ā environmental, political, spiritual?
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// TIMECODES //
00:00 - 00:45 - Introduction
00:45 - 05:45 - Understanding the Westās meaning crisis
05:45 - 08:22 - By setting aside religious ādelusionsā, have we become more deluded in other ways?
08:22 - 13:02 - What do ārealnessā, āmeaningā and āmatteringā mean?
13:02 - 18:45 - Are we at the peak of the meaning crisis?
18:45 - 28:45 - Artificial intelligence and the meaning crisis
28:45 - 36:00 - Have we made identity groups, social concepts and science, sacred?
36:00 - 40:40 - How do we recover the true meaning of the sacred?
40:40 - 53:20 - Losing the notion of soul, and horror as epiphany
53:20 - 01:00:05 - Have we lost the sense of the sacred because weāve lost the notion of the sacred place?
01:00:05 - 01:04:30 - Weāre still performing rituals, even if we donāt realise it
01:04:30 - 01:18:54 - Debunking the mental potential myth, and the role of art in the idea of the sacred
01:18:54 - 01:19:17 - Concluding thoughts
#UnHerd #JohnVervaeke #Rituals
All Comments (21)
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Vervaeke is unquestionably an international treasure.
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This has to be one of the best talks i've heard. Vervaeke is a certified genius, Flo is an amazing interviewer. Thankyou UnHerd for this conversation.
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Plato never realized his name would be turned into Playdough
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Vervaeke sometimes activates God mode with his explanations, he's essentially a better Cognitive Scientist than most single-discipline Scientists in the field, as a result of incorporating plenty of Liberal Arts topics and observations.
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John, your wisdom and your teaching skill inspire me. I am a Naturopathic Physician. I find myself wondering if you worked with a person who has MS, how much their MS would improve under your guidance and instruction. I believe the patient would improve greatly. I see great overlap between what you do and what I do and, more importantly, between how you do what you do and how I do what I do. I admire and appreciate you, John.
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Heavenly Father, only you know the burdens I face please bless me and my children this Christmas. As a single mom it can be hard to have everything on your shoulders. Especially because both of my sons are autistic. Itās difficult to raise children alone but despite the challenges I face I keep faith in you Lord. As I struggle to pay rent and as I struggle to buy groceries for my children. Jesus deliver me from my anxieties, and my troubles. Give me strength. Since suffering a heart attack two years ago and my on going battle with lupus Iām overwhelmed. Help me to find strength when I am weak, And hope when I am afraid. I will keep faith no matter what I face. š¢
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Merry Christmas
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May John's floors remain walkable in 2024!
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I simply love how John can dispel an urban myth, still understand the hidden meaning inside the questioner's mind and deliver a thoughtful, rational and meaningful answer that yields significance to many, not only who questioned it. Effortlesly doing it; That's John. :) Love it.
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Dr. Vervaeke, I must say, is an excellent relevance realizer; he makes relevant points regarding wisdom, meaning, and the sacred that are much needed in this existence.
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"It is not pleasure," I think the distinction between eudaimonic and hedonistic pleasure is useful here. Because flow is pleasurable, but it is deeper than the shallow pleasure of hedonism. Rock climbing is eudaimonically pleasurable because it involves virtues such as courage.
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Merry Christmas!
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Such a great gift! John Vervake is such a brilliant thinker. Thank you UnHeard š Merry Christmas to y'all š
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Happy Christmas
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been following him since 2015, his lectures are simply mind blowing. Especally his "a rationalistic explanation of chi"
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Fantastic, thank you. Puts normal media to shame.
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It has taken me a while but I'm understanding Vervake better. He understands our minds and how they actually work. Love the Horror of it, way beyond angst . Wisdom is hard earned.
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"happy non-denominational winter festival" is the most sterile greeting I've ever heard. In the West we celebrate Christmas. Now, British Christians will be a minority by 2066 or earlier, but until then; it's Merry Christmas.
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Thanks for this content, for a minute I took for granted thst its free, its on tap any time i want, much in keeping woth John's points about everything we do, our learning and our mind, is done in communion with others and because of others contributions. It astounds me how much I forget that I am a recipient of the efforts of others and therefore connected to them. Constantly overcoming the feeling that I am sepearate and disconnected. My journey is helped by this kind of content, and the ideas of Vervaeke and his work which is fantastic. Flo (think thats her name) is also brilliant in her role, its clear she understands all the ideas too. Great work everyone. Looking forward to more and hope also to attend an event!
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I can see why Jordan Peterson picks John Vervake's mind-brain for insights to pursue meaning. Wish I was more competent myself. Great to listen to and hope I really comprehend his thinking.