Ep. 1 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Introduction

About this Video

• Video Title: Ep. 1 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Introduction
• Channel: John Vervaeke
• Speakers: John Vervaeke
• Duration: 00:59:16

Introduction

This video serves as an introduction to a series exploring the meaning crisis. John Vervaeke, the speaker, argues that converging positive and negative factors point to a unified explanation: a profound meaning crisis impacting various aspects of modern life, including mental health, societal trust, and engagement with technology. The series aims to provide a comprehensive, unified argument connecting these factors and proposing a response to this crisis.

Key Takeaways

• The Mindfulness Revolution: The increasing interest in mindfulness stems from the intersection of Buddhism and cognitive science.
• Meaning Crisis: A cultural meaning crisis is argued to be intertwined with mental health issues, declining trust in institutions, and a pervasive sense of societal collapse.
• Wisdom & Self-Transcendence: The video highlights growing interest in wisdom and self-transcendence as potential responses to the meaning crisis, emphasizing their importance in achieving well-being.
• Shamanism and Ritual: Shamanic rituals, with their emphasis on altered states of consciousness and cognitive enhancement, are presented as a potential model for understanding and addressing the meaning crisis. These rituals are described as psychotechnologies that enhance cognitive functioning.
• Cognitive Scientific Account of Enlightenment: The series will explore a cognitive scientific approach to understanding enlightenment as a potential solution to the meaning crisis.