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Artwork for Dr. John Vervaeke

Dr. John Vervaeke

Upfire Digital LLC
Cognitive Science
Meaning Crisis
Philosophy
Neoplatonism
Spirituality
Consciousness
Relationality
Internal Family Systems
Artificial Intelligence
Wisdom
Philosophical Silk Road
Predictive Processing
Relevance Realization
Agency
Psychotherapy
Transcendent Naturalism
Meditation
Chronic Pain
Meaning In Life
Zen Buddhism

The Official John Vervaeke Podcast Feed

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes245Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EducationScience

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Artwork for Dr. John Vervaeke

Latest Episodes

What if pilgrimage is not primarily about reaching a destination, but about learning how to be addressed by reality again?

In this episode of Lectern Dialogues, John Vervaeke speaks with Ish Peregrino, a practitioner, facilitator, and pilgrim whose... more

Can transcendence still make philosophical sense after modernity?

John Vervaeke speaks with philosopher William Desmond about Platonism as a living tradition, the meaning of strong transcendence, and Desmond's philosophy of the metaxu: the between.... more

Why is the modern world making us lose our "taste for the real," and can ancient practices like animal tracking and Socratic dialogue actually save our personhood from the "virtual matrix" of AI?

John Vervaeke, Guy Sengstock, and Kyle Koch announce... more

What if the question is not simply whether life has meaning, but how our capacity for meaning develops?

In this Lectern conversation, Ethan Hsieh speaks with Brendan Graham Dempsey about his upcoming course, Matters Over Time: How the Sacred and Si... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Mauricio Ishwara
Guest, founder/teacher associated with eco-psychology and indigenous traditions
Various Latin American, European, and Asian communities; works with a foundation
Episode: Ish Peregrino: Pilgrimage Is More Than Travel. It Changes How You See Reality
Brendan Graham Dempsey
Director of Research at the Institute of Applied Metatheory; Director at Sky Meadow Institute
Institute of Applied Metatheory; Sky Meadow Institute
Episode: Brendan Graham Dempsey: Matters Over Time
Hüseyin Beyköylü
Ph.D. candidate and co-author
Leiden University
Episode: From Flow to Mystical Experience
Daniel Meling
Co-author
Episode: From Flow to Mystical Experience
Taylor Barratt
Friend of the hosts and participant in the series
Episode: Who is Ethan Hsieh? | Teaching, Play & What TIAMAT is For
Ethan Hsieh
Guest discussing the relationship between theory and practice and pedagogical design
Episode: Who is Ethan Hsieh? | Teaching, Play & What TIAMAT is For
Edward Slingerland
Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia; Dartmouth College (half-time)
University of British Columbia; Dartmouth College
Episode: Silk Road Seminar: John Vervaeke with Edward Slingerland
David Schindler
Professor, discussed The Vision of the Soul and topics around noetic insight
Faith and Philosophy scholar (contextual in discussion)
Episode: Silk Road Seminar: John Vervaeke with James Matthew Wilson and D.C. Schindler
James Matthew Wilson
Author of The Vision of the Soul, contributor on noetic vision and beauty
Author/Scholar
Episode: Silk Road Seminar: John Vervaeke with James Matthew Wilson and D.C. Schindler

Host

John Vervaeke
Host known for cognitive science, philosophy, and bridging science with spirituality.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 243 ratings
  • The ads are out of control

    You can’t even listen to the two minute trailer without listening to multiple ads first. The show isn’t much better. Rather ironic that he’s pushing mindfulness and pumping the show with as many unrelated distractions as possible. I get the need to monetize, but this is the worst offense I’ve encountered. It’s too bad because I’d otherwise listen regularly.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    It’s usually good!
    United States2 months ago
  • A gift

    That this Awakening From The Meaning Crisis lecture series is free for anyone to listen to, whenever they want, is a wonderful gift. Dr John Vervaeke is a truly learned man, full of wisdom, and (more importantly, in the context of this podcast series) a great teacher. Thank you 🙏

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Arvasie
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • Thank you!

    Finally! The content is beyond superb. It was available only on YouTube for a good White. Finally it has arrived on Podcast, so that one can listen to it while on the run.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Umionius
    Germanya year ago
  • Excellent

    Worth listening to

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    macneilmacneil
    United Statesa year ago
  • Super-insightful and creative

    By far, the greatest lectures I've had the privilege to listen to. Thank you professor Vervaeke.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Taha Birben
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the depth, breadth, and practical relevance of discussions on meaning, cognition, and spirituality.
Fans highlight the engaging host presence and the rigorous, interdisciplinary conversations as a reason to keep listening.
The ads are intrusive and distract from the show quality, but the content remains compelling for many listeners.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#117
Finland/Education
Apple Podcasts
#242
Ireland/Education

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Silk Road Seminar: John Vervaeke with Edward Slingerland
Q: What about the risk of certain flow states (e.g., gaming) becoming anti-flow in real life? How should we think about balancing intrinsic enjoyment with real-world applicability?
If a flow activity fails to transfer to real-life outcomes or detracts from real-world responsibilities and relationships, it risks becoming anti-flow. The aim is to cultivate activities that enrich life broadly and improve virtue and social connectedness, not just generate isolated satisfaction.
Silk Road Seminar: John Vervaeke with Edward Slingerland
Q: I have a question along those lines about the relationship between individual flow experiences and broader social meaning. How do you see flow transferring beyond the individual to community or culture?
The transfer happens when flows are anchored in social practices, rituals, and shared values that connect individual actions to a larger context. Flow should inform and reshape how we live, not just what we do in isolation; meaningful life arises from how well these experiences are integrated into everyday social life.
Brendan Graham Dempsey: Matters Over Time
Q: What is the core aim of the Matters Over Time course?
to map how the sacred and significance evolve in self and society, using models of meaning-making, complexity, and development to reveal a pattern that connects individual lives to a larger cosmic process.
Lectern Live Q&A with Mark Miller (03.29.26)
Q: What practical exercises would you recommend to someone exploring these ideas?
Engage in mindful attention to bodily sensation, practice imaginal or guru yoga approaches to decenter fixed self-models, and perform metamodeling—actively evaluating which beliefs are driving behavior and how to sample new evidence to adjust the model.
Lectern Live Q&A with Mark Miller (03.29.26)
Q: How do you reconcile scientific modeling with traditional spiritual practice in a way that's useful for practitioners?
By treating contemplative practices as empirical experiments that can generate testable evidence about how attention, awareness, and belief formation influence experience. The framework emphasizes humility, open-mindedness, and metacognition, using practices to gather better evidence and update the internal model without discarding the value of traditional wisdom.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Dr. John Vervaeke

What is Dr. John Vervaeke about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show threads together cognitive science, philosophy, spirituality, and pedagogy through long-form dialogues with scholars, practitioners, and writers. Episodes often explore meaning, flow, meaning crises, and how contemplative practice can illuminate daily life, with frequent cross-cultural comparisons (East/West, ancient and modern) and a strong emphasis on applicability—whether shaping teaching, retreat design, or public understanding of meaningful living. A notable strength is the ability to blend rigorous theory with practical practice, using close readings, dialogues, and experiments in pedagogy to help listeners cultivate wisdom, community, and resilient meaning-making. Potential listeners who enjoy interdisciplinary inquiry, dee... more

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Dr. John Vervaeke launched 3 years ago and published 245 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Dr. John Vervaeke?

Recent guests on Dr. John Vervaeke include:

1. Mauricio Ishwara
2. Brendan Graham Dempsey
3. Hüseyin Beyköylü
4. Daniel Meling
5. Taylor Barratt
6. Ethan Hsieh
7. Edward Slingerland
8. David Schindler

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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