Happy St. Valentines Day Philosophy & Love (part 2) | with John Vervaeke The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-14 | Happy Valentine's Day 2024 💖😘🙏.John was awesome enough to talk to me today about "the 4 p's of loving" and various aspects of love, a kind of meta-virtue from the way he talks of it. He also recommended some videos from his first series, Awaken to the Meaning Crisis, as well as books from Iris Murdoch, D. C. Schindler, and others (just watch the last 5 minutes for those!)At the end, I was so happy and in a great mood, the powers of philia, eros, and agape were almost sophrysonicly drawing me out of myself towards a kind of moreness. :) Here's John's YouTube channel: youtube.com/@johnvervaekeThe Vervaeke Foundation - vervaekefoundation.orgAwaken to Meaning - awakentomeaning.comIf you have an insight or anecdote about love or art to share, please leave it in the comments below and share the beauty of loving with us! 😎
Cameo: John Vervaeke on Joe Rogan - OMG, So Close ... The Meditating Philosopher 2024-07-30 | A great moment from the Joe Rogan Experience. Fellow Canadian bragging about his successes brought up a great philosopher. :) Original Episode: youtu.be/r_3yOQl9E4I?si=iBzhrUBDWA_ub71bI'm not endorsing this course or anything, but am happy to see John Vervaeke's high quality work continue to propagate among the world's zeitgeist and social networks. :) Hopefully one day Joe Rogan will have JV on as a guest to explore more wisdom science and philosophy as a way of life!
Douglas Hedley, Cambridge Platonist, reads in the chapel of Emersons famous Divinity School Speech The Meditating Philosopher 2024-06-13 | This rare moment of spontaneous poetic beauty was captured last week at the "Living Theurgy" conference at Harvard Divinity School. I am not affiliate with the program and none of this represents anything more than playful exuberance. That being said, what a moment of history to hear this and also some other living Platonists comment on this elegant room where I was so fortunate to visit, home of the speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson (pictured at the start of the video). A plaque on the wall noted Frederic Henry Hedge, founder of the Transcendental Club among other things. This inspired Douglas Hedley to share some of Henge's writing, which is featured here.More of this great soul:The Unofficial Douglas Hedley YouTube Playlist (45+ videos / 10+ years):youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385ouEGK_1S8CwdlmBHKoKDGPQ&si=LV7r7oZYY0xwzHGNOther Useful Resources:Douglas Hedley: divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/douglas-hedleyFrederic Henry Hedge: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Henry_HedgeEmerson's Divinity School Address: emersoncentral.com/texts/nature-addresses-lectures/addresses/divinity-school-addressThanks!
John Vervaeke | Reverse Engineering Plato & A Cognitive Scientist at Harvard Divinity School (4K) The Meditating Philosopher 2024-06-05 | Dr. John Vervaeke gave a talk hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Center for the Study of World Religions conference, Platonism as Living Tradition, May 15-18, 2024. It was a blast, and I was fortunate enough to attend it and lucky enough to be allowed to unofficially record selected talks. Opening imagery and title slides are mine.Time Stamps---------------------00:00 Introduction00:30 Cognitive Science & Spiritual/Psychological Meaning 05:00 4E Cognitive Science - Enactive, Embodied, Embedded, Extended09:00 Propositional Tyranny of Modernism & J. J. Gibson15:30 4Ps of Knowing - Propositional, Procedural, Perspectival, & Participatory Knowing20:30 Imagination23:00 Ritual, Dialectic, & DiaLogos28:00 Roles of Dialectic into Dialogos Practice36:00 Q & A36:15 What is the Telos of this project?40:15 What is the role of autobiography and personal wisdom?43:00 How is this practice actually Platonic?49:00 What do we mean by Platonism?52:20 How does noetic understanding relate to this?54:20 How is ritual different than discourse57:30 Can this practice answer big questions58:00 Is this like Proclus' 4 steps of dialectic - division, definition, demonstration, analysis?Thanks for listening & watching!
🐅Animals watching Bruce Lee in the Rain |🎼 Relaxing Lofi Music 🎵 || The Pierre Burton Interview The Meditating Philosopher 2024-05-04 | Lofi is good for stress (if you like it of course). Bruce Lee is just awesome. Enjoy! 00:00 Start15:46 Be Like Water18:21 Let me say this about "superstars"Bruce Lee's iconic interview with Pierre Burton. Enjoy this art project and listen to a unique person who dared to dream, defied expectations and conventions, and opened new ways for us people of diverse interests and backgrounds. A hero of millions of people around the world, and a continually inspiring person, loved by his friends and family, respected by the world, and gone too soon.
Whats the Best Use of a Conversation? :: Really Really Real with Rob & John Vervaeke The Meditating Philosopher 2024-04-02 | I have a lot of random conversations with John from a few years ago, and wanted to share a few of the moments I found interesting or beautiful. Please take the graphics and such with a light heart and as playful reminders life isn't always about being serious. 😢🥱🏝I didn't want to release this on April 1 for fear of being mis-attributed as a joke, but I do hope this year is a year of celebrating faith, family, and friendships and living and speaking about what you value. I love talking to John and hope to continue to study philosophy and more understand how to live a good life, but that seems like an un-ending quest or question. ❤😎I am excited that I got to 777 subscribers, what ever that means! I hope you enjoyed the short chat!
Garri & Rob ❤️ Philosophy (#4): Weddings & Existential Meeting of Shared Worlds The Meditating Philosopher 2024-03-15 | Garri and I continue to explore the overlap between psychology, philosophy, and science. Here's a link to his one if excellent papers: Enactivist Big Five Theory - https://www.academia.edu/download/68883239/EB5T_Accepted.pdf
The World-Fragmenting Mythology of The 2020s | Jonathan Haidts Best Metaphor | ImaginalInsights#15 The Meditating Philosopher 2024-03-09 | What kind of an analogy, metaphor, or story can capture all of a world? Dr. Jonathan Haidt is an award winning writer and scholar. I love the work he does and he is a well respected, top-tier social scientist if you've never heard of him. I found this whole conversation delightful and full of interesting ideas. Dr. Jonathan Haidt's work is original and stimulating. He's written and shared too many good things to list, but here's a great article he wrote about his Metaphor of Babel and "The Fragmentation of Everything" and the original video, which I highly recommend and watched recently!Original Video: youtu.be/njjMkXpmlTI?si=Z2nIq-SPFuPRyPi7Related Article by Dr. Haidt: theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny: amazon.com/Nonzero-Logic-Destiny-Robert-Wright/dp/0679758941Thanks!----Note: I don't have any financial or personal stake in any of the people or ideas mentioned in this video. This video and all of the other videos on my channel are for education or entertainment purposes only. This channel is not monetized directly and all content that is not mine is owned by the respective persons or groups.
John Vervaeke & Eric Orwoll | Relationship & The Ground of Being | Understanding Platonism #4 The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-29 | This is part 2 of the discussion and partial continuation of our series on understanding Plato. John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist at the University of Toronto who studies wisdom and meaning in life. Eric Orwoll is a passionate soul who loves Plato and many other things. We explore James Filler's works on Heidegger, Neoplatonism, and Relationality as a fundamental aspect of existence (or existenz if you're hip and cool, but I digress). 00:00 Beginning1:25:15 Heidegger's 1957 TV appearance clip.Here's the paper we discuss, as well as a few other useful resources:philpapers.org/rec/FILRATamazon.com/Heidegger-Neoplatonism-History-Being-Ontological/dp/3031309065https://uga.academia.edu/JamesFiller/CurriculumVitaePlotinus' Enneads: drive.google.com/file/d/1ltiVcaKTWDQUIQxV7YRjvm1-i2jcA8_y/view?usp=sharingThanks!
Eric & Rob | Inquiry on Ritual, Reason, and Prayer | Relationality as the Ground of Being (paper) The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-23 | This is a prequel to a talk we do with John Vervaeke about a month later (released very soon) on James Filler's "Relationality as the Ground of Being" academic paper. James Filler List of Works: https://uga.academia.edu/JamesFillerWe discuss and explore the paper by James Filler, which is influenced by Plotinus, Aristotle, and Heidegger. I think the paper cites approximately 20 ennead chapters, a unique feat and praiseworthy! An aside, if you've never read the Enneads by Plotinus, they are great! John mentions many resources in both series he's made and has an episode dedicated to him in AFTMC. He's the best! I also ask Eric a few questions about rituals, prayer, and other forms of contemplation, searching for an understanding about embodied acts of faith. He never fails to engage me with personal experiences and wide-ranging philosophical insights from both Platonism and Christianity, as well as many other sources. Eric has a great youtube channel on Plato and is also running an event from April 6th - 14th that might interest someone. youtube.com/@understandingplato1134Thanks for watching!
Arcanvm on Pierre Grimes, Greek Roots & Being A Musician | Free Giveaway - Hellenism & I-Ching The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-22 | The class is now a few days away or less and the contest is over! Thanks for anyone that participated! :) I hope the interview is still interesting if you're viewing it and there are some great copies of the I-Ching or other books you might enjoy at your local library or bookstore. :)Thanks Ike and Pierre! -------------------------------------------------Ike Baker (@arcanvm ) links:Pierre class: patreon.com/arcanvm/shop/hellenic-exploration-of-i-ching-with-116657?source=storefrontHis personal website: http://ikebaker.comARCANVM on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@arcanvm---------------------------------------------------I hope you enjoyed hearing out talk as much as I enjoyed hearing about Ike and some of his wide-ranging interests and projects! Check out his other stuff if you liked this and have some time on your hands. :)
Design Can Aspire to be A Balance of Form and Function | Lex Fridman & Marc Raibert The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-20 | I found this really interesting in a lot of ways. Lex Fridman has a diverse set of guests that often get undervalued or cast out as limited to science, but I think this conversation is broadly applicable to more domains than that, such as art, philosophy, and even ergonomics! Here's the original talk: youtu.be/5VnbBCm_ZyQ?si=O0CXYsy6WXZvk-a9This is from the paper he referenced from 30 years ago, and it had this excellent table, which uses great language. Where do I get a job at the "Leg Laboratory"? That sounds like a neat place to have worked - almost like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but with pogo sticks and droids instead of candy canes and odd but helpful oompa loompa's!----------The original document is marked up like it was stored in a military file drawer somewhere:Table 1-1: Milestones of the Leg Laboratory. 1982 Planar one-legged machine hops in place, travels at a specified rate, keeps its balance when disturbed, and jumps over small obstacles. 1983 Three-dimensional one-legged machine runs and balances on an open floor. Simulations reveal passively stabilized bounding gait for quadruped-like model. 1984 Quadruped runs with trotting gait using generalization of one-leg algorithms. Data from cat and human found to exhibit symmetries like those used to control running machines. 1985 Planar biped runs with one- and two-legged gaits and changes between gaits. 1986 Planar biped does flips, aerials, and runs at 11.5 mph. Monopod runs using leg with rotary joint and leaf-spring foot. 1987 Quadruped runs with trotting, pacing, and bounding gaits. 1988 Planar biped uses selected footholds and climbs short stairway. Quadruped does rudimentary transitions between running gaits. Reentrant trajectories found for simulated passive dynamic running. Computer simulation shows running in zero-g by bouncing between two floors. Simple physical model of zero-g running demonstrated. 1989 Planar biped jumps through hoop and runs with top speed of 13.1 mph. Simulated planar biped gallops. Hoof added to monopod improves performance of leafspring foot. Three-dimensional biped does simple running. 1990 Planar biped robot walks, gallops, and changes between walking and running. Simulation of passive dynamic running with knees. 1991 Kangaroo-like robot, with articulated leg and tail, takes first steps (hops). Computer simulations of simplified kangaroos and ostriches. 1992 3D biped robot does somersault. Kangaroo-like robot runs at 1.8 m/s. Simulated quadruped control system adjusts automatically for variations in body mass and leg length. 1993 3D Biped and Kangaroo appear with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes in Rising Sun. Passive stability achieved for layout somersault in laboratory "doll". 1994 Cockroach simulations runs using kinematic motion data from animal. Stable Groucho running in simulated spherical cockroach (Hexahopper). Weight-shifting robot rocks with stabilityArticle link: ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8206365----------Thanks!
Happy St. Valentines Day Philosophy & Love (part 1) | with Karen Wong (TheMeaningCode) The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-14 | Happy Valentine's Day 2024 💖😘🙏.Karen was kind enough to join me to talk about a range of topics related to love and loving, from our personal lives to our values and beliefs, and how we've been challenged and changed by love and the desire to love someone we care about. Thanks, Karen!We also talk about art during the last 20 minutes, and might meet up again to talk more about art, the creative process, and similar topics again soon.Here's Karen's YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/TheMeaningCodeIf you have an insight or anecdote about love or art to share, please leave it in the comments below and share the beauty of loving with us! 😎
🐯How has Taoist or Western Spiritual Alchemy ⚚ Been Positive So Far? | A Question with John Vervaeke The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-11 | The answer is my favorite part, "Ask me again in a year; timing is an important factor in question asking."Thanks for watching! There are lots of other great questions in this playlist and John shares many of his entire Q&A's on his channel: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otv3X_R3JZSYM1fedeamYWn&si=EuVlCNeU3qor0m-Jyoutube.com/@UCpqDUjTsof-kTNpnyWper_Q Thanks for watching! I hope you learned something or at least enjoyed the video! :)
Modern Wisdom Science with Dr. Guro Hansen Helskog | Philosophizing The DiaLogos Way Towards Wisdom The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-09 | Guro is a ground breaking scientist in one important sense, she's interested in doing philosophy as well as writing about it. Her book is full of theory, experimental evidence, and provides a rich tapestry of potential ways to bring philosophy (the love of the good) backed by science into our lives for the better.Join us on a short conversation about her work and some of her impressive experiences. I appreciate her willingness to share some of her insights and how important it was to her to try to make learning more about self-development and aspirational values rather than a kind of utilitarian and market-oriented worldview so common among the west today. Here book is Philosophizing The DiaLogos Way Towards Wisdom in Education. Thanks and I hope you found something valuable from this! If you have different questions you wish I'd have asked or comments about things you liked, please share below!
Upcoming Online Course Learn about Indian Philosophy with Dr. Rick Repetti & APPA The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-08 | Rick Repetti is a trained philosophical counselor, award winning educator, author, and practitioner with decades of experience in applied philosophy and the study of human wisdom. He will be teaching a 5-week series of 2-hour online lectures (with practices and Q&A) at the American Philosophical Practitioners Association’s (APPA’s) new ‘Academy’, their new diploma program in Philosophy for Everyday Life (which is open to everyone and beginner focused and friendly.Details and Enrollment:“Indian Philosophy for Wisdom in Everyday Life”, beginning Sunday, March 17, 2024. 1:00-3:00 pm EST, and the 4 following Sundays. Here’s the link to the descriptions of the 5 sessions and to enroll. https://appa.edu/indian-philosophy/**If you are not an APPA member but want to join, just sign up for the $12 quarterly membership linked below, and that will allow you to do thishttps://appa.edu/product/auxiliary-quarterly/This particular course is one of a few of APPA’s new courses (currently, there are only two other courses being offered, one by Pierre Grimes and the other by Lydia Amir, but Lydia’s is in APPA’s new ‘Institute’ for professionals, and thus is only open to people with professional degrees). Enjoy a small online class and enroll soon! Limited to 20 souls, so don't wait. If you have questions, check the link for helpful info and to sign up! 🙏*I have no financial stakes or personal gain in any of this. Bodhidharma says "no merit" anyways! Thanks! ~ Robert (The Meditating Philosopher)*
Look What I Can Do (Game B: Shift The Sacred to DiaLogos) 🎹 | 🐭 Steamboat Johnny & J. Hall 👀 The Meditating Philosopher 2024-02-08 | Music shifts us out of propositional thinking and into the body, a different kind of narrative of movement, action, feeling, and embodiment. Color, shape, and familiar and unfamiliar imagery can inspire, distract, or otherwise open us to the "moreness" of our experiences/realities. Here's the original talk, in case you are still hungry for more insight and dialogue: youtu.be/BHuswWHEdOc?si=-RhsNQM2x1COwdyxThe animated video is an old cartoon that shook the world at the time and now seems quant and almost nostalgic. Thanks! Old mouse saying: "Gently, beautifully, with grace and humility, 'Steal the culture back!' ." :)
Garri & Rob ❤️ Philosophy (#3): Possibility & Tyrannical Thinking The Meditating Philosopher 2024-01-29 | Garri and I continue to explore the overlap between psychology, philosophy, and science. Here's a link to Garri Hovannisyan's Paper: Enactivist Big Five Theory - https://www.academia.edu/download/68883239/EB5T_Accepted.pdf
Five Great Quotes about Socrates, The Monstrous Sage of the Athenians The Meditating Philosopher 2024-01-25 | ~ Rest in Peace, Our Beloved Socrates ~From near the end of the Phaedo (114c-115a):"Those who are deemed to have lived an extremely pious life are freed and released from the regions of the earth as from a prison; they make their way up to a pure dwelling place and live on the surface of the earth. Those who have purified themselves sufficiently by philosophy live in the future altogether without a body; they make their way to even more beautiful dwelling places which it is hard to describe clearly, nor do we now have the time to do so. Because of the things we have enunciated, Simmias, one must make every effort to share in virtue and wisdom in one’s life, for the reward is beautiful and the hope is great. No sensible man would insist that these things are as I have described them, but I think it is fitting for a man to risk the belief—for the risk is a noble one—that this, or something like this, is true about our souls and their dwelling places, since the soul is evidently immortal, and a man should repeat this to himself as if it were an incantation, which is why I have been prolonging my tale. That is the reason why a man should be of good cheer about his own soul, if during life he has ignored the pleasures of the body and its ornamentation as of no concern to him and doing him more harm than good, but has seriously concerned himself with the pleasures of learning, and adorned his soul not with alien but with its own ornaments, namely, moderation, righteousness, courage, freedom and truth, and in that state awaits his journey to the underworld.Now you, Simmias, Cebes and the rest of you, Socrates continued, will each take that journey at some other time but my fated day calls me now, as a tragic character might say, and it is about time for me to have my bath, for I think it better to have it before I drink the poison and save the women the trouble of washing the corpse."(All five stories can be found Leo Rosten's "Infinite Riches: Gems from a Lifetime of Reading".)If you have a favorite moment about the life of Socrates or how philosophy touched you, share it below! In philia!Timeline-------------00:00 Peaceful Introduction00:14 "Phaedo" by Plato, student of Socrates00:53 "About Him" ~ Anon.02:31 Cicero on Socrates2:39 Eupolis on Socrates2:52 Xenophon, author of the Anabasis, student of Socrates, on Socrates
Steamboat Johnny | Steal the Culture by Steamboat Willie, Akira the Don, & John Vervaeke The Meditating Philosopher 2024-01-23 | The Vervaeke Foundation - vervaekefoundation.orgAwaken to Meaning - awakentomeaning.comyoutube.com/@johnvervaekeMusic: akirathedon.comSpecial Thanks to Talented, Amazing Akira The Don and The Illustrious, Lovable Steamboat WIllie, and of course Johnny V.!
The Dynamic Dance: Unity & Multiplicity | Short - Jonathan Pageau & Benjamin Boyces Nice Dialogue The Meditating Philosopher 2024-01-17 | Just an art experiment! Original video: youtu.be/Z3DH5i4G3q8?si=x3ALIPTuvZBCyHDSJonathan Pageau's Info:💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 📱 SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: / thesymbolicworld Twitter: / pageaujonathan Instagram: / jonathan.pageau Benjamin Boyce's Info: Find all interviews on spotify: https://spoti.fi/3px5WnK / benjaminboyce Join him on alternative video sites:odysee.com/@BenjaminABoycehttps://www.bitchute.com/channel/benj...rumble.com/user/BenjaminABoyceAnd on Twitter @BenjaminABoyceNeoplatonist Christians mentioned in background graphics:Meister EckhartNicholas of CusaJohn Scotus EriugenaDionysus the Areopagite Just because:I hope you are having a lovely day! ❤
Were Simulating The Impressive Hollowness Our System Maximizes For : Layman Pascal, Robot Rascal The Meditating Philosopher 2023-12-25 | Layman and I discuss Artificial Intelligence, Wisdom, Bots, and our shared future with increasingly powerful technology. We also lament our missing friend, Bruce Alderman, and ask ChatGPT to write a joke about Kierkegaard, and it makes us laugh and think.
The Curious Tale of An Angel of Light (Tom Cheetham) The Meditating Philosopher 2023-12-21 | Tom Cheetham is an author, scholar, biologist, poet, and teacher. In his course on Henri Corbin's The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism he shared this gem. His articulation and expressions are priceless. Tom is also just an amazing guy to be around and learn from and with, so check out his other podcasts, videos, courses, and of course books!Tom is always doing new courses and if you enjoy this kind of thing, you need to check him out! tomcheetham.comI love Tom Cheetham's aporatic consciousness!
Bearing Witness to Epiphany | Author John Russon The Meditating Philosopher 2023-12-13 | John Russon is a Canadian Philosopher and author of the excellent book "Bearing Witness to Epiphany". His work uses metaphors from music to explore different aspects of our embodied experience, with it's own rhythm, melody, and harmony, and in a world of beings just like us, realizing ourselves through our relationships and our words as well as our actions and our material existence - a dialect of soulful beings co-creating our worlds as participants, not disembodied abstractions. He's a musician, teacher, and a genuinely cool soul as well! :) He studies great people such as Plato, Plotinus, Proclus, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and The Buddha. You can find his books mentioned in the episode here: amazon.com/s?k=john+russonAnd his excellent YouTube channel here: youtube.com/channel/UCKxB8T8BQl6Ib3eOKaOlA5gPlease leave any thoughts, questions, or comments below! 🙏❤️😀
An Uncanny Fate: Artificial Intelligence, Ancient Ideas - Eric Orwoll The Meditating Philosopher 2023-11-15 | Plato, Aristotle, Proclus, and Iamblichus all had thoughts on technology, invisible nature, and how to live well. We explore these topics in a hopefully thoughtful and playful way together, wondering what our future holds with these monstrous technological beings and our relationships to ourselves as well!
Four Elements Centering Contemplation (4 Minutes) By Layman Pascal The Meditating Philosopher 2023-10-30 | Voiced by Layman Pascal"An initiatory vision of supreme beauty is a necessary reality for the soul-making opus we call our lifetime." - Anon.
Platos Myth of the Cave: An Exploration of the Good with Rick, Sevilla, Lizelle, & Christopher The Meditating Philosopher 2023-09-07 | Plato's Cave is one of the most iconic artifacts of philosophy in recorded history. We explore a few of the beautiful threads, trying to make sense of it, ourselves, and each other for a little bit together.Here's the full video at the start, masterfully read by Johannes Niederhauser: youtu.be/0znHP0Ne3cM?si=acdc0FyjLemvnKFAThanks for listening!
Garri & Rob ❤️ Philosophy (#2): Affordance & Mystery The Meditating Philosopher 2023-08-31 | Garri and I continue to explore the overlap between psychology, philosophy, and science. Here's a link to Garri Hovannisyan's Paper: Enactivist Big Five Theory - https://www.academia.edu/download/68883239/EB5T_Accepted.pdf
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 12 | On Episode 20-22 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-08-23 | Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I have a philosophical discussion about various topics!Check it out!Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Garri & Rob ❤️ Philosophy (#1): The Enactivist Big Five Theory The Meditating Philosopher 2023-07-20 | Garri and I explore the Big 5 personality theory from the point of view he writes about in the paper below as well as his recently defended dissertation. It's really smart science! Here's a link to Garri Hovannisyan's Paper: Enactivist Big Five Theory - https://www.academia.edu/download/68883239/EB5T_Accepted.pdf
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 11 | On Episode 19 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-06-01 | Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I have a philosophical discussion about various topics!We talk about the physics of joy and how it arises from neuronal de-stimulation rather than highly activated states, the existentialities of humanity exposed by COVID-19, and the importance of deepening oneself through decision-making, personal growth, and multiple kinds of truth. We also discuss different philosophical concepts and thinkers, breaking through to the self, and the struggle to integrate personal and public life. We note that even subjective and nonsensical ideas have objective significance because of how an individual has raised their peculiarity to a new level, and they praise Socrates' approach to dialoguing with others and confronting the transcendent. The conversation includes reflections on placing the private in the public and how it creates a different culture while taking people off the hook from the tension between one's private and public self.We also talk about the concept of confession and the potential benefits and dangers of public and private confessions, as well as the importance of shared public experience and physical demonstrations in confession. Additionally, we discuss the issue of applying knowledge or insights in a detached, unfeeling way and the importance of generating pathos through expressing deep feelings in a communal, ritualistic container to support the mourner in a safe environment. We conclude by discussing the concept of Zen's spontaneous immediacy and the importance of not getting caught up in one's own delusions.Check it out!Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Neoplatonism: An Unexpected Journey | John Vervaeke, Hobbits, & Dwarves The Meditating Philosopher 2023-05-31 | Here's the full talk: youtu.be/Lbk3lA6zCicAnd another talk on the same topic: youtu.be/vazO36OnGKI
Platonic Systems Theory: Dynamic Oneing of Soul & Reality | With John Vervaeke & Eric Orwoll The Meditating Philosopher 2023-05-06 | Eric Orwoll, John Vervaeke, and I discuss the importance of finding balance between different perspectives and approaches in various concepts, including predictive processing, naturalism, self-transcendence, and the concept of matter. We highlight the significance of opponent processing and flexibility of attentional scaling, as well as the need for a historical dimension and complexification process in achieving self-transcendence. We also discuss the possibility of developing a system that has opponent processing as a fundamental grammar. We also contemplate the nature of matter, individuation, and the principle of resistance, and explore the challenges of explaining emergence and upward causation.Outline00:00 Start00:30 Irony, Relevance Realization, & The Ground of Being14:00 Predictive Processing23:00 Neoplatonic "Extended" Naturalism - Emergence, Emanation, & Transcendence27:00 Life, Mind, & Self: Weird Autopoetic Unity31:00 Kierkegaard - "Self relating to self"32:30 One & Many: Dialogical Unity36:00 Does everything emanate from The One? / Christian Neoplatonic Trinity39:30 Necessity of Suchness to Being / Historical, In Time & Space Aspect of Realness41:30 Inverted Sense of The Good / Balancing Undermining & Overmining47:00 Matter53:00 The World SoulEric Orwoll's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@UC10oqMKjGhP8KuRpLuBMSVw John Vervaeke's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@UCpqDUjTsof-kTNpnyWper_Q The previous two conversations:#1: youtu.be/GjLhglH-nno#2: youtu.be/cBWp3fhJ0XoAI Generated Detailed Summary: docs.google.com/document/d/1UKpcM2L5BXdiWZqz9zbWvF1gSHeJ7J-amQk_WPjzi0s/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Diving Deeper Into Authentic Relating, Philosophical Fellowship, & Dialectic into Dialogos The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-29 | Taylor Barratt, Christopher Mastropietro, and Lizelle Van Wyk join me to better understand some of the practices from After Socrates Episode 10. We talk about the meditation and contemplation exercises, authentic relating, philosophical fellowship, and dialectic into dialogos. They are all great practices and offer people with a wide range of backgrounds and interests to engage in meaningful ways interpersonally around topics of virtue, personal transformation, and participation in deep philosophy.
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 10 | On Episode 18 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-28 | This video covers a wide range of topics related to the relationship between comedy, tragedy, and spirituality, drawing from various stories, philosophers, and pop culture references. Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I explore the power of irony, humor, and tragedy to trigger self-reflection and lead to personal growth, as well as the importance of reverence for the mundane and the playful side of spirituality. Additionally, the role of comedy in breaking open categories and creating new perspectives is highlighted, while the negative effects of mainstream culture on both comedy and tragedy are discussed. We also explore the value of embracing irreverence and standing against mediocrity.Layman, Bruce, and I also discuss tragedy and comedy as transcendental functions that are universally valorized in human culture, and express their lament that modern culture does not have a greater appreciation for them. We also explore lying, irony, and ethics, particularly in Indian dramas where characters heroically stand outside the ethical in order to serve it. The conversation also touches on the completeness theorem and how it applies to normative ethical frames, as well as the importance of not taking oneself too seriously in spirituality, the danger of overbinding to seriousness, and the importance of allowing and encouraging people to emotionally process negative affects so that they can grieve through tragedy or enjoy comedy. We also discuss the cultural problem of not allowing ourselves to experience negative feelings, which accumulates over time and makes us unable to process tragedy or comedy in a meaningful way. Lastly, we touch on the dialogical mode of being and how cultures can produce quasi-entities to help them look at things in a safe way.Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 9 | On Episode 16-17 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-26 | In this video, Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I explore various philosophical ideas and cultural references, including the importance of cultivating wisdom for finding happiness, the concept of irony and cynicism in shows like Seinfeld, and the paradoxical nature of Christ's teachings. We also touch on the role of devotion and conscious engagement in self-transcendence, the idea of hope in Buddhism, and the differences between Socrates and Hamlet. We also discuss Kierkegaard's concepts of the "night of faith" and "night of infinite resignation," and the potential danger of inoculating ourselves against the power of paradoxical disruption.Layman, Bruce, and I discuss Kierkegaard's night of resignation and faith, and the need for disruption to break free from conventional religion. We also talk about DC Schindler's three levels of virtues and the need to transcend Transcendence back into the eminent. The discussion then turns to the topic of irony and cynicism, where we exploring the difference between the two and the power of irony to provide tension between ideals and reality. We touch upon the concepts of freedom and suffering, and disassociating from suffering versus owning it. In a lighthearted moment, we joke about incorporating topics like albinoism and Stonehenge into future episodes while also sharing some fond memories of classic 80s movies.Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Philosophy & Free Will with Rick Repetti & Eric Orwoll The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-25 | Rick Repetti, Eric Orwoll, and I discuss different approaches to free will and metaphysics, with Eric influenced by Leibniz’s occasionalism and Rick's pragmatic approach informed by Frankfurt and Buddhist thought. We also discuss the concept of agency and free will and propose a model combining aspects of Jainism, Frankfurt's model of free will, and Buddhism, viewing agency as enacted and embedded in an environment. We touch on the idea of a quantum version of panpsychism, wave function collapse, the dynamic view of the world, and the concept of the soul. Eric, Rick, and I also discuss the importance of forgetting and focusing on other things to indirectly understand the concept of the one. We conclude by exploring the mysteries of split brain patients and the idea that individuals have the freedom to raise their consciousness above primitive levels.We explore the brain activity of meditators who experience non-local experiences in the mind, as well as the concepts of multiple universes, quantum computation, and the power of meditation. We also discuss the relationship between attention and free will, and how meditation can help cultivate attention as a muscle. Additionally, we dive into concepts like scattered thoughts and effort and the importance of interest in generating motivation. The discussion offers a nuanced exploration of various theories related to consciousness and metaphysics.We address the importance of Right View and Right Intention in pursuing higher ideals, including wisdom and enlightenment. Eric, Rick, and I also discuss the efforts required to cultivate attentional skill and the tripartite soul's role in managing desires. We discuss the different motivations and efforts required for intrinsic and instrumental goals and how paradigms and forms relate to belief and intellectual intuition. Finally, we touch on the concept of "paradigmatic knowing," which involves a harmonic blend of participatory, procedural, and perspectival knowing, leading to a holistic understanding of the archetypes or forms that underwrite our existence and aspirations.Rick is a philosophy professor who teaches on virtue ethics, free will, and meditation. Eric is an intellectual dedicated to Platonism/Neoplatonism and a range of modern thinkers. Rick's YouTube page: youtube.com/@UC3iwahPNjV4b2tU8doHqakA Eric's YouTube page: youtube.com/@UC10oqMKjGhP8KuRpLuBMSVw Thanks!
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 8 | On Episode 14-15 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-12 | Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I discuss the significance of personal images and how they connect to philosophical concepts, emphasizing the importance of the deeply personal in philosophy and its role in understanding the universal. We explore the idea of truth only being available through dialogical disclosure, and the need for relationships between people to intuit a through-line. Bruce highlights the importance of mythology in contemporary popular culture and post-metaphysical spirituality. We also discuss the idea of holding opposing propositions together simultaneously, allowing for stereoscopic depth vision, and the role of personal accountability and responsibility in being a part of Ultimate Reality. We explore non-dual communitarianism, the concept of perichoresis, and how Kierkegaard's philosophy emphasizes the effort of relational engagement and freedom as inseparable things. We also discuss the paradoxical nature of Kierkegaard’s philosophy and the trap of trying to escape the partiality of the truth. At the end of the first hour, we explore the concept of "moreness" and its relationship with object-oriented ontology, emphasizing the importance of true access to "moreness".In the last section, we discuss the concept of symbols and their ability to point to a layer beyond themselves, requiring a through-line to access a pattern that exceeds the current layer. We also cover the ideas of Kierkegaard, including the iconification of the self and the need to become religious in turning around and beholding what was previously implied. We discuss the importance of having diverse perspectives to avoid over-optimization and the necessity of detachment and intimacy in achieving participatory knowing with others. We also touch upon Socratic Tau Erotica and the Kyoto school's philosophy before wrapping up by discussing the right posture and Heidegger's philosophy. At the end, Layman, Bruce, and I urge people to appreciate Kierkegaard's unique approach to philosophy, which foregrounds the intensity required for it to become real in one's life.Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 7 | On Episode 11-13 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-04-06 | In this video, Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman, and I reflect on various highlights from episodes 11-13 of the After Socrates series. We discuss the importance of ritual as a way of knowing and the role it plays in religion. We also explore different modes of reality and the need for different linguistic frames to best understand them. We delve into the concept of symbols and how they become flat and dead and the need for shamans who can help re-energize dead symbols. Layman, Bruce, and I further propose the need for a socially recognized high status class of shamans or technicians of the sacred, which would create a functional pattern of the Sacred. Ultimately, they suggest the need for a new mythology for our time, one that must contain an element of discovery and eruption that is recognized by the people being exposed to it.In the second hour, Layman, Bruce, and I discuss various topics related to the role of stories, myth, ritual, and identity. We emphasize the importance of multi-modality in learning and embodying practices to connect and reveal, while also discussing the challenge of transferring inner experiences of spiritual practices to the Western world. We also delve into the concept of indexicality, the importance of personal connections, and the need to create spaces for dialogical encounters. The conversation ends with a playful note of trying to attract John, who has a fascination with acoustic equipment, and discussing the trickster in the Jungian sense as a way of making sense of what couldn't be said or what isn't being talked about.Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Embodiment - Polyvagal Theory & Simple Exercises on Freeze, Fight, Flight, & Fun | Roger Jackson The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-17 | These are my favorite parts from a Rebel Wisdom course I attended. It was licensed under creative commons attribution and it's been a while since the course came out, so I thought I'd share. 00:00 Start00:06 Guided Meditation on Dignity06:48 The Importance of Embodiment & Polyvagal Theory16:28 Exercises Start34:14 Takeaway - 3 Principles------Thanks!
Is Meditation a form of Philosophical Practice | Pierre Grimes & Rick Repetti | APPA Agora Q&A The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-06 | Pierre Grimes is one of the greatest living philosophers. He was hosted at a public talk with a Q & A recently and I was lucky enough to attend. My friend Rick Repetti asks a great question about the relationship between meditation and philosophy.The APPA is an active philosophical counseling community. They started the APPA Agora this year and will have more scheduled talks. Check it out! https://appa.edu/appa-agora/Here's the full talk in case you want more: youtu.be/n72qwP9_ErIThanks!
What are the Forms in relation to The Good Life | Pierre Grimes | APPA Agora Q&A The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-06 | Pierre Grimes is one of the greatest living philosophers. He was hosted at a public talk with a Q & A recently and I was lucky enough to attend. The APPA is an active philosophical counseling community. They started the APPA Agora this year and will have more scheduled talks. Check it out! https://appa.edu/appa-agora/Here's the full talk in case you want more: youtu.be/n72qwP9_ErIThanks!
After Socrates Ecology of Practices : Reciprocal Opening | Episode 11 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-05 | In Episode 11 John shares many insights into the imaginal as a part of the psyche/soul that can help us move towards our aspirational selves as well as open up aspects of the world to us in profound and real ways. _____________________After Socrates' Ecology of Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otRm0GRAQhYvdWWHb7_3oLCI'll update this as new episodes are released._______Thanks!
After Socrates Ecology of Practices : View From Above | Episode 11 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-05 | In Episode 11 John shares many insights into the imaginal as a part of the psyche/soul that can help us move towards our aspirational selves as well as open up aspects of the world to us in profound and real ways. _______The View From Above:Gently close your eyes and spend some time centering and rooting.Then, when you're ready, imagine yourself (in the imaginal sense) in the room your sitting in.Then imagine your sense of self floating above where you are and seeing yourself sitting in that room or place looking down and seeing your body in the chair or wherever you're sitting. Now float a bit further up and see the whole building you were in.Now float even higher and you see the whole city or countryside in what that build is.Now float even higher more slowly so you can see the whole country and continent wherever you are.Now even higher, you're seeing the whole Earth as it is from space.And now moving back you see the whole of the solar system.And now even further back the whole of the galaxy.And even further and you see all of the galaxies.And now your framing is not just now but all of the past all the way back to the big bang and all the way forward into the deep future. Notice your sense of self, what's relevant, and what's important, really sink into just purely being here.And slowly start to come back to the galaxy and the present. Back to the solar system, the earth, the country, the city, the building, the room and the place where you started.Take a moment to notice the difference in your sense of self, what's relevant, what's important.______________After Socrates' Ecology of Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otRm0GRAQhYvdWWHb7_3oLCI'll update this as new episodes are released._______Thanks!
Embodiment - Tai Chi, Nature Attunement & Insights on Movement | John Vervaeke & Rafe Kelley The Meditating Philosopher 2023-03-03 | These are my favorite parts from a Rebel Wisdom course I attended. They had creative commons attribution, so I thought I'd share since it's been a while since the course came out. There are some wonderful practices, insights on embodiment, and attuning with nature. 00:00 Start00:06 John Vervaeke on Embodied Movement11:00 John's Tai Chi Lesson - Standing in Mud, Flowing in Water, Rising in Air23:49 John on Embodied Movement 235:14 Rafe Kelley on Embodied Movement42:46 Rafe's Practice on Nature Attunement_________Meditation, Contemplation, and other Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otsGMt5_rb9sGQ1zQ0cDox8John Vervaeke's Meditation Playlist (from Covid): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385osnr0HicGgjyzFwkm4PIWCeJohn Vervaeke's Wisdom of Hypatia Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385ovi8X1vO3seYl42ep-ER3DvAfter Socrates Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otRm0GRAQhYvdWWHb7_3oLCThanks!
Beside After Socrates /w Layman Pascal & Bruce Alderman | Ep 6 | On Episode 10 + Philosophy Games The Meditating Philosopher 2023-02-23 | In this video, Layman Pascal, Bruce Alderman and I discuss a variety of philosophical concepts and quotes, ranging from love and embodiment to the actualization of the imaginal. We explore the importance of diverse dialogical practices and the need for a secure container in which productive disruptions can occur. Layman, Bruce, and I also delve into different approaches to achieving enlightenment, comparing Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. We discuss the potential for a radical generativity in the spirituality of early civilization and suggest that larger groups were likely involved in the construction of structures rather than individual genius craftsmen or authoritarian forces.In the second hour, we discuss the importance of collaborative processes in creating sacred structures such as Stonehenge, Angkor Wat, and the Tibetan Lama's center called Odeon. We highlight the value of embodied and interactive learning compared to a more semantic-based approach and caution on the potential dangers of diving into these practices, especially with inexperienced people, as it can lead to the dumping of people's dark sides and bizarre things that can be non-benign or even dangerous. We also discuss the intersection of technical and creative skills when it comes to data visualization and expression and emphasize the importance of finding local communities and meaningful ways to participate in life.Here's a link to the course Bruce mentioned in the last episode: eventbrite.com/e/536530947507Check it out!Some miscellaneous references: Vervaeke Dictionary (Thanks, Lizelle!!) : docs.google.com/document/d/1vwxZ3cvcZ6v_YELUzWWfLdXmGmq0R_F-LC5SGfHgsOA/edit?usp=sharingThanks!
Boundary Violations by Tom Cheetham | A Collection of Original Poems | Part 5 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-02-19 | Tom Cheetham is multifaceted - a lover of biology, teaching, art, philosophy ... and avocados, lemons, and the mystery of life. I learned about him through his books on Henry Corbin, and find his zest for life enchanting. He loves the little things on the periphery and seeing things in new ways. Listening to his poetry is like walking with one foot in fantasy and the other in a stream of consciousness - his poetic voice is distinct and if you like him and his work, I think you'll enjoy this too! ____Poetry. "Coming from a rogue scholar of the imagination in esoteric Islam, a book of poems should be of no surprise, but this one sure is. Tom Cheetham plunges us deep into the imaginative realities of a life as far from Mecca as Maine. By turns ludic, dark, elegant, honest, with an enviable sense of the absurd, and with generosity towards existence, Cheetham is ever faithful to the turns of thought and feeling, interleaving the planes of the real into his continuous and wonderfully whacked-out song."—Joseph Donahue_______Here are links to Tom Cheetham's online stuff, including online classes he teaches and the book where you can support him and the small publishing company that produced his work and would surely like your support (I receive no financial benefit from this):tomcheetham.com/classestwitter.com/tomcheetham1tomcheetham.substack.comamazon.com/Boundary-Violations-Tom-Cheetham/dp/1939929245The beautiful hi resolution 4k images are from: unsplash.com________Full Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385ovit8lD8-eTGylWLoLQViNW
After Socrates Ecology of Practices : Dialectic into Dialogos | Episode 10 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-02-18 | In Episode 10 John shares many insights into the imaginal as a part of the psyche/soul that can help us move towards our aspirational selves as well as open up aspects of the world to us in profound and real ways. _____________________After Socrates' Ecology of Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otRm0GRAQhYvdWWHb7_3oLCI'll update this as new episodes are released._______Thanks!
After Socrates Ecology of Practices : Curiosity, Deep Listening, & Self-Disclosure | Episode 10 The Meditating Philosopher 2023-02-18 | In Episode 10 John shares many insights into the imaginal as a part of the psyche/soul that can help us move towards our aspirational selves as well as open up aspects of the world to us in profound and real ways. _______Curiosity, Deep Listening, & Self-DisclosureUsing our curiosity to help open up the person you’re listening to.Someone starts by asking a question.Then, the other person answers it.First person paraphrases that answer, then asks/checks for accuracy."Right now I’m noticing", reveals themselvesOr "say more about this", to educe the person, draw them out.Starting Prompt: What does it mean for you to be right here, with us, doing this right now?______________After Socrates' Ecology of Practices Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKjpRj385otRm0GRAQhYvdWWHb7_3oLCI'll update this as new episodes are released._______Thanks!
