“Philosophy, Spirituality, Esotericism & the Crisis of Meaning” – Justin SLEDGE; Zevi SLAVIN; John VERVAEKE | ESOTERICA ▶️

The pessimist has to invent new reasons to exist every day: he is a victim of the “meaning” of life. Cioran, All Gall Is Divided (1952) A conversation about modernity and the crisis of meaning. Justin Sledge’s work engages with Religious Studies specifically in the so-called “Western Esoteric Tradition” or Hermetic Tradition in religious and philosophical…

“The Blind Spot in Perception: Cognitive Science, Asian Philosophy, and Mystical Insight” – Evan Thompson & John Vervaeke ▶️

Evan Thompson is a philosopher and author, specializing in the integration of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and Asian philosophical traditions. Based at the University of British Columbia, his work, including his recent book The Blind Spot, examines the intersections of consciousness, experience, and reality through a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FEYm8ehaTE Can cognitive science, philosophy,…

“The meaning of life (and other topics)” – Orion Taraban | Soft White Underbelly ▶️

A third Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Orion Taraban, psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Dr. Taraban runs the PsycHacks YouTube channel, providing listeners with brief, thought-provoking episodes on a variety of psychological topics, inspired by his clinical practice. You shouldn't be surprised by an observation another person makes about you,…

“Why Can’t We Find Meaning Anymore?” – John Vervaeke & Alex O’Connor | Within Reason ▶️

The pessimist has to invent new reasons to exist every day: he is a victim of the “meaning” of life. Cioran, All Gall Is Divided (1952) In a book on Zen Buddhism, by A. W. Watts, I stumble upon this: "But the anxiety-laden problem of what will happen to me when I die is, after…

“Unveiling the implicit beauty in Stoicism” – John VERVAEKE ▶️

John Vervaeke explores the intricate relationship between beauty and stoicism. Vervaeke delves into the philosophical underpinnings of stoicism, focusing on its emphasis on beauty as a pathway to understanding reality and virtue. He articulates how stoicism aligns beauty with wisdom, offering insights into cognitive science, virtue ethics, and the transformative power of beauty in perceiving…

“Rituals are rational” – John Vervaeke | UnHerd ▶️

All around us are signs of crisis. UnHerd’s Flo Read and philosopher/cognitive scientist John Vervaeke sat down at the UnHerd Club to diagnose the alienation and anxiety that pervades our contemporary culture. Is a “meaning crisis” at the root of all the other crises we face – environmental, political, spiritual? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgUmADssm0A TOPICS: Introduction Understanding the…

“Levels of Intelligibility: Neoplatonism and 4E Cognitive Science” – John VERVAEKE ▶️

CogSci is very much in the Neoplatonic tradition of seeking a synoptic integration across levels of reality, especially the levels of reality that correspond to levels of the self - levels of the psyche. John Vervaeke The “4E” approach to cognition argues that cognition does not occur solely in the head, but is also embodied, embedded, enacted, or extended by…

“Karl Jaspers’ Conceptions of the Meaning of Life” – Kurt SALAMUN

EXISTENZ - An International Journal in Philosophy, Religion, Politics, and the Arts, vol. 1, nr. 1-2, Fall 2006 Abstract: The thesis is explicated, that we can finally distinguish three conceptions of the meaning of life in Jaspers' philosophy. This thesis is grounded on the distinction of two different periods of Jaspers' philosophizing: an early period…

“Cioran’s clinamen”: a female Muslim reading – interview with Daria LEBEDEVA

Daria Lebedeva was born in the legendary city of Odessa, Ukraine, and presently lives in Sweden. She obtained a PhD in Philosophy from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Agata Bielik-Robson, with a thesis about Cioran’s clinamen: a case study of a philosophical influence (2012).…