Awakening From The Meaning Crisis: An Introduction

What is meaning? Why do we care about it? What is wisdom? And how do we actually cultivate it? Why are there connections being made between Buddhism and Cognitive Science? What is Stoicism? Why are people suddenly becoming interested in mindfulness? These are a few of the several questions that John Vervaeke explores in his lecture series Awakening From The Meaning Crisis on YouTube. Through the course of his 50 lectures, Professor Vervaeke uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine and explore solutions to the meaning crisis. The aim of his series is to develop a scientific, cognitive, existential account of the meaning crisis and discuss what we can do about it. The aim of my blog series is to create a brief, written version of his series and to have a platform where we can discuss his ideas.

Why am I doing this?

I’m at a particularly confusing stage of my life right now where I’m trying to figure out how I can translate my interests into the professional world. This process has involved a lot of questions, particularly those concerning meaning, relevance, passion (I know, sue me), wisdom and self transcendence. There are a few things that have been helping me get some clarity, and Professor Vervaeke’s work is definitely one of them. That's why I decided to start this blog series.

If you’re interested in any of the concepts mentioned above and if you’ve ever felt periods of existential confusion, this is for you. I invite you to join me on this journey of existential exploration and self discovery, one Meaning Crisis lecture at a time.

The aim of this blog series is to cover all 50 episodes. I will start off by posting as often as I can and eventually intend to post everyy weekend. I will do my best to do justice to Professor Vervaeke's work. Constructive criticism is welcome. Discussion about his ideas is encouraged. Please share this with anyone who you feel might be interested. Thank you for your time.