Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Previous episode: youtu.be/wx6C3neSD78
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 Substance Ontology and the Crisis of Reason. His work traces the genealogical roots of modern nihilism and skepticism while advancing a powerful case for relationality, participation, and non-discursive forms of knowing. As a teacher and scholar, he brings clarity and compassion to some of the most pressing philosophical and spiritual questions of our time.
James Filler:
https://uga.academia.edu/JamesFiller
amazon.com/Substance-Ontology-Crisis-Reason-Filler/dp/3031754115
Each quarter, John engages in thought-provoking extended conversations with a leading expert in psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. Each season offers a unique exploration, bringing together their diverse fields of knowledge to create fresh insights and understanding. These in-depth discussions, chaptered for your convenience, offer nuanced perspectives and integrative approaches to navigating our complex world.
The first episode is free and publicly available. To follow the rest of the season as well as gain access to previous discussions, you can sign up at the Beta Tier (and above) on The Lectern lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge
If you would like to donate purely out of goodwill to support John’s work, please consider joining our Patreon. patreon.com/johnvervaeke
The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. vervaekefoundation.org
If you would like to learn and engage regularly in practices that are informed, developed and endorsed by John and his work, visit Awaken to Meaning’s calendar to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships. awakentomeaning.com/join-practice
John Vervaeke:
johnvervaeke.com
twitter.com/vervaeke_john
youtube.com/@johnvervaeke
patreon.com/johnvervaeke
John Vervaeke is joined by philosopher and theologian James Filler to expose the hidden roots of the modern meaning crisis. Together, they trace a powerful philosophical arc from ancient substance ontology to today’s widespread nihilism, skepticism, and isolation. James reveals how centuries of prioritizing “being” over “relation” have led to an inward collapse of reason, relationality, and the self. John and James unpack how non-discursive knowing, theosis, and participatory truth can restore wholeness beyond representational models of mind. They explore the role of liturgy, love, and vertical epistemology as practices that reawaken our connection to what is most real. This Lectern is a profound inquiry into what it means to become truly human—and how we might recover the sacred not through belief, but through transformation.
Notes:
00:00 Welcome to The Lectern
00:30 James Filler's Work
02:30 Impact of Substance Ontology
07:00 Cartesian Dualism and Its Consequences
10:30 Critique of Modern Rationality
13:30 Relationality and Knowledge
16:00 The Role of Non-Discursive Reasoning
24:00 Ethics and Becoming Truly Human
40:30 Participatory Knowing and Liturgy
42:00 Secularism and Substance Ontology
44:30 The Buffered Self and Modernity
48:00 Self-Transcendence and Theosis
51:00 Critique of Substance Ontology
01:00:00 The Role of Liturgy in Modern Churches
Previous episode: youtu.be/wx6C3neSD78
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 Substance Ontology and the Crisis of Reason. His work traces the genealogical roots of modern nihilism and skepticism while advancing a powerful case for relationality, participation, and non-discursive forms of knowing. As a teacher and scholar, he brings clarity and compassion to some of the most pressing philosophical and spiritual questions of our time.
James Filler:
https://uga.academia.edu/JamesFiller
amazon.com/Substance-Ontology-Crisis-Reason-Filler/dp/3031754115
Each quarter, John engages in thought-provoking extended conversations with a leading expert in psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. Each season offers a unique exploration, bringing together their diverse fields of knowledge to create fresh insights and understanding. These in-depth discussions, chaptered for your convenience, offer nuanced perspectives and integrative approaches to navigating our complex world.
The first episode is free and publicly available. To follow the rest of the season as well as gain access to previous discussions, you can sign up at the Beta Tier (and above) on The Lectern lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge
If you would like to donate purely out of goodwill to support John’s work, please consider joining our Patreon. patreon.com/johnvervaeke
The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. vervaekefoundation.org
If you would like to learn and engage regularly in practices that are informed, developed and endorsed by John and his work, visit Awaken to Meaning’s calendar to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships. awakentomeaning.com/join-practice
John Vervaeke:
johnvervaeke.com
twitter.com/vervaeke_john
youtube.com/@johnvervaeke
patreon.com/johnvervaeke
John Vervaeke is joined by philosopher and theologian James Filler to expose the hidden roots of the modern meaning crisis. Together, they trace a powerful philosophical arc from ancient substance ontology to today’s widespread nihilism, skepticism, and isolation. James reveals how centuries of prioritizing “being” over “relation” have led to an inward collapse of reason, relationality, and the self. John and James unpack how non-discursive knowing, theosis, and participatory truth can restore wholeness beyond representational models of mind. They explore the role of liturgy, love, and vertical epistemology as practices that reawaken our connection to what is most real. This Lectern is a profound inquiry into what it means to become truly human—and how we might recover the sacred not through belief, but through transformation.
Notes:
00:00 Welcome to The Lectern
00:30 James Filler's Work
02:30 Impact of Substance Ontology
07:00 Cartesian Dualism and Its Consequences
10:30 Critique of Modern Rationality
13:30 Relationality and Knowledge
16:00 The Role of Non-Discursive Reasoning
24:00 Ethics and Becoming Truly Human
40:30 Participatory Knowing and Liturgy
42:00 Secularism and Substance Ontology
44:30 The Buffered Self and Modernity
48:00 Self-Transcendence and Theosis
51:00 Critique of Substance Ontology
01:00:00 The Role of Liturgy in Modern Churches
