Dr. John Vervaeke

In this episode, John welcomes Mark Vernon to discuss his two books, 'Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey' and 'Awake: William Blake and the Imagination'. They explore the profound psychological, philosophical, and spiritual insights offered by Dante and Blake, touching upon topics like pilgrimage, the imaginal, and the role of the imagination in renewing perception. Mark shar...

Thank you for joining us live for this month's Silk Road Seminar, featuring JP Marceau. JP Marceau is a philosopher and author specializing in the integration of Neoplatonism, Thomism, and Cognitive Science. With a Master's degree in the Philosophy of Mind, his work emerges from a personal and intellectual journey that moves from early materialism and reductionism toward a non-reductionist, partic...

To learn directly from Ethan Hsieh, John Vervaeke and Taylor Barratt, The Lectern is partnering with 5ToMidnight to offer a long form hybrid (online/in-person) practice program called TIAMAT-X. This program brings a full ecology of practices, endorsed by The Vervaeke Foundation to help you develop the capacity to… perceive what matters regulate in real time and act with clarity  …through a cohesiv...

Thank you for joining us LIVE for this special Lectern Launch Event with Nicole Baden and Dr. John Vervaeke. Nicole Baden is a contemplative teacher, somatic practitioner, and long-time collaborator within the ecology-of-practices community. Her work focuses on integrating embodiment, meditative discipline, trauma-informed techniques, and transformative dialogue into cohesive pathways for personal...

Learn more about the program here: https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/courses/tiamat-x Led by Ethan Hsieh, John Vervaeke and Taylor Barratt, The Lectern is partnering with 5ToMidnight to offer a long form hybrid (online/in-person) practice program called TIAMAT-X. This program brings a full ecology of practices, endorsed by The Vervaeke Foundation to help you develop the capacity to... • perceive wh...

Led by Ethan Hsieh, John Vervaeke and Taylor Barratt, The Lectern is partnering with 5ToMidnight to offer a long form hybrid (online/in-person) practice program called TIAMAT-X. This program brings a full ecology of practices, endorsed by The Vervaeke Foundation to help you develop the capacity to… perceive what matters regulate in real time and act with clarity …through a cohesive method that wea...

In this livestream, John relected on the past year, walk through important updates to the Lectern platform, preview upcoming courses, and share a major announcement: Led by Ethan Hsieh, John Vervaeke and Taylor Barratt, The Lectern is partnering with 5ToMidnight to offer a long form hybrid (online/in-person) practice program called TIAMAT-X. This program brings a full ecology of practices, endorse...

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...

Thank you for joining us for our monthly Silk Road Seminar!  Today's guest is  @JonathanPageau  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 bri...

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 develo...

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 focuse...

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 i...

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 basi...

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 on...

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 throug...

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 d...

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 his...

"To what extent is authenticity a solitary alignment with the inner self, versus a relational and dialogical process shaped through communion with others?" John Vervaeke, Gregg Henriques and Matthew Schaublin come together for a discussion covering the concept of authenticity. Matthew Schaublin presents findings from two studies, one of which employs a mixed-methods design to examine the interplay...

The Crisis of Being   James Filler is a philosopher, theologian, and leading voice in metaphysics and post-Cartesian thought, specializing in substance ontology, the meaning crisis, and relational models of reason. With a PhD in philosophy and expertise in ancient and contemporary ontology, Filler is the author of Heidegger, Neoplatonism, and the History of Being Relation as Ontological Ground and...

 This conversation marks the beginning of a deeper inquiry for Dr. John Vervaeke: What if pilgrimage is not a retreat from the world, but a return to what is most real? Joined by Ethan Hsieh, John explicates his intent to preregister his intellectual and philosophical orientation before beginning his metaphorical pilgrimage. Drawing on parallels with psychology's preregistration practice, John's a...

Ritual, Wisdom, and What's Lost Sebastian Morello was trained in philosophy by Sir Roger Scruton and Andrew Pinsent. He is a lecturer, columnist, and popular public speaker in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Morello has previously co-authored books on subjects of philosophy and education. He lives in Bedfordshire, England, with his wife and children.   Each quarter, John engages in thoug...

Can artificial intelligence truly become wise? In this landmark lecture, John Vervaeke explores the future of AI through a lens few dare to examine: the limits of intelligence itself. He unpacks the critical differences between intelligence, rationality, reasonableness, and wisdom—terms often used interchangeably in discussions around AGI. Drawing from decades of research in cognitive science and...

Thank you for joining us LIVE for our monthly Silk Road Seminar! Today's guest is Zevi Slavin, founder of Seekers of Unity, a multidisciplinary platform exploring the convergence of science, mysticism, and philosophy. Zevi is known for his compelling work drawing connections between Kabbalah, Neoplatonism, Islamic mysticism, and cutting-edge theoretical physics. Silk Road Seminars are a live event...

Britt Hartley is a certified spiritual director, meditation teacher, and leading voice in secular spirituality, specializing in religious trauma, deconstruction, and nihilism recovery. With a Master's in Applied Theology, doctoral work in Open and Relational Theology (ABD), and training across Sufi, Mormon, and meditation traditions, she is the author of No Nonsense Spirituality: All the Tools, No...

What happens when data knows us better than we know ourselves? In this raw and riveting conversation, John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro sit down with Andy Russell — a former architect of data-driven persuasion — to expose how AI, behavioral profiling, and social media algorithms can hijack human desire, threaten our agency, and reshape our civilization. But there's hope: what if the same...