Podcast Summary
Understanding the Four Types of Knowing: Learning occurs in many different ways and understanding the four types of knowing and their associated memories provides deeper insight into how we learn.
Learning can occur in many different ways, especially through the four types of knowing introduced by John Vervaeke.Propositional knowing is the most familiar form and requires truth as a standard of realness.It results in beliefs and is associated with semantic memory.Procedural knowing is the ability to do something and results in skills, but it is not true or false.It relies on the standard of power, and is associated with procedural memory.Perspectival knowing is about understanding what it's like to be in a certain situation, results in perspectives, and is judged on presence.Finally, participatory knowing is about knowing by being, and is associated with episodic memory.Understanding all four types of knowing and their associated memories provides deeper insight into how we learn.
Participatory Knowing and Affordances: Humans interact with the environment in multiple ways and create an understanding of the world, which is known as participatory knowing. This involves discovering and utilizing affordances and flow states.
Humans interact with the environment and the objects around them in multiple ways.We use gravity, electromagnetism, niche construction, our culture, and our ancestors' tools to shape ourselves and our environment.Through these interactions, we create an understanding of the world around us and the roles we can take in it.This is what we call "participatory knowing", and it's evident in the affordances we discover and utilize.For example, when we feel culture shock or homesickness, we recognize the lack of these affordances.We also use semantic memory to remember facts about the world, such as that dogs aren't fishes.Flow states are also related to this participatory knowing as they are a prioritization of the other forms of knowing over propositional knowing.
Experiencing Flow Through Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong: Engage in practices like Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong to experience flow and create a balance between the cerebellum and frontal cortex.
Flow states are optimal experiences that people report during activities like Tai Chi Chuan.It enlivens, enriches and creates a sense of connection with the environment.There is a heightened awareness and clarity, and it feels effortless.People in a flow state have a sense of wellbeing and discovery.Daoism provides a framework for translation of flow into other domains of life.To experience flow, one can engage in practices like Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong, which helps to create a balance between the cerebellum and frontal cortex.
Transforming Shyness Into Strength: Practicing the macro in the micro, focusing on transferable skills, and having an overarching framework or philosophy can help transform shyness into strength.
John was shy by nature and had difficulty in social situations.He learned to compensate by taking on the role of a teacher, something he was naturally gifted at.He read books, and was fortunate enough to have amazing teachers that allowed him to do this.With practice, he was able to transfer this skill to other domains such as lecturing, where he found success.Through this, he was able to transform his shyness into a strength and become an expert in his field.He found that the key was to practice the macro in the micro, and to focus on the transferable skills.He learned that having an overarching framework or philosophy around the skill he was practicing gave it a broader context.This was the key to John's success and can be applied to many different areas of life.
Finding Path to Self-Transcendence Through Eastern Philosophies and Practices: Loosening lecture structure and reinforcing positive insight and intuition are key to achieving a flow state in teaching.
John Vervaeke was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family and felt the need to find a path to self-transcendence.He found it through Eastern philosophies and practices like Vipassana, Metta and Tai Chi Chuan.These gave him the ability to flow between practices and cultivate wisdom.To achieve a flow state, he found that loosening the structure of a lecture and finding the sweet spot between tightness and looseness was necessary.He also emphasized the emergence of insight and intuition in himself and his students, and drew it out with positive reinforcement.With this, he was able to achieve a flow state in teaching.
John's Journey of Overcoming Fragmentation and Fears: John overcame his fragmentation and fears by learning the importance of therapy, meditation, contemplation, Tai Chi Chuan and a good education.
John was 15 when he decided to leave Christianity and his life became fragmented.He couldn't move out on his own and it was a very challenging experience for him.He had close friends who became very supportive and it caused him to get married too young.He was wrestling with profound depression and trauma from his childhood.It took a lot of work, therapy, meditation, contemplation, Tai Chi Chuan, and a good education to overcome his fears and terrors.All of these different learnings taught John how to solve the fragmentation problem and how to make his life whole again.Now, he meets a lot of people who have gone through similar experiences and has been able to help them.
Combining Intelligence and Wisdom to Overcome Self-Deception: Wisdom is needed to recognize when our intelligence may lead us astray and to break out of our own thinking in order to find the right solution.
Our intelligence gives us the power to solve many problems, but we can also fall into self-deceptive and self-destructive behavior.Wisdom is not the same as knowledge and it is needed to overcome foolishness.We can use our intelligence to understand the situations, but wisdom is needed to deal with the self-deception that may arise from it.An example is in chess, where it is impossible to check all possible alternative pathways.We must use heuristics to bias our attention in order to solve the problem.Sometimes, we may be wrong, and must break out of our own thinking in order to find the right solution.Wisdom is essential to recognize when that is the case.
Utilizing Intuition and Logic for Problem Solving: Intuition can provide insight on complex problems, but it should be balanced with logic to avoid impulsive and inaccurate decisions.
Intuition is a powerful tool of problem solving which provides an alternative to logic and rationality.It is based on the notion that certain properties of a situation can be relevant and important without the use of logical relations and implications.Intuition can be used to draw connections between seemingly unrelated subjects and provide insight on problems that are otherwise intractable.Although intuition can be a great help in problem solving, it can also be impulsive or inaccurate.It is therefore important to use both intuition and logic when solving complex problems and to be aware of the perils of relying too much on intuition.
Harnessing the Power of Our Environment: Intuitively learn from your environment to distinguish cause from correlation and use it for positive outcomes.
We can learn from our environment intuitively without even realizing it.Our implicit learning has the power to pick up complex patterns, but also the peril of picking up patterns that are not real.To avoid bias and prejudice, we can deliberately set up environments that replicate how science distinguishes cause from correlation.By doing this, we can learn to harness the power of our environment and use it for positive outcomes.
Practicing an "Ecology of Practices" for Improved Wisdom and Virtue: Practice an ecology of complementary practices to spot wrong patterns and track real causal relationships to make better decisions.
John has learnt that to become wise and virtuous, one needs to practice an "ecology of practices", which are practices that have complimentary strengths and weaknesses.This strengthens the ability to spot spurious patterns and unhelpful forms of pattern recognition.To make sure one is doing good implicit learning, it is important to have clear information, tight coupling of feedback and for error to matter.These three conditions also lead to getting into the flow state.John encourages us to check and balance our practices in a similar way as an ecology in a biological ecosystem.This helps to spot wrong patterns and instead, track real causal relationships, so that one can make better decisions.
Practicing the Art of Living a Meaningful Life: Become aware of mental framing and biases by practicing meditation, contemplation, circling, paraphrasing, and philosophical fellowship to lead a meaningful life.
The art of living a meaningful life requires one to have the right mental frames and habits.We can learn this from the teachings of Socrates, who taught us the importance of active open-mindedness and dialogue.To practice this, one must take time to become aware of their mental framing and biases.There are two ways to do this: meditation, where one steps back to look at their mental framing, and contemplation, where one looks at the sensations they are normally looking through.To further hone this habit, one can also practice circling, paraphrasing, and philosophical fellowship.With the right practices and guidance, internalizing Socrates and these habits can become deeply ingrained and lead to a meaningful life.
Centering and Metta for Deeper Connection and Understanding: Centering is a practice of learning to stay present and observe your thoughts and feelings, while metta is a practice of cultivating deeper connection and understanding with yourself and others.
Centering is a practice of learning to stay in the present, to observe and acknowledge distractions in the mind without getting stuck on them.It is a process of learning to step back and observe the thoughts and feelings, without getting overwhelmed by them.Metta is a practice of cultivating deeper connection and understanding with ourselves and those around us.It is an act of examining identities and exploring the suchness of a person, beyond the assigned categories and identities.Love is not an emotion, but an existential stance of commitment to binding our identity to the identity of someone else.Through centering and metta, we can learn to observe our thoughts and feelings and cultivate deeper connection and understanding with ourselves and others.
Cultivating Listening and Communication Skills through Circling, Paraphrasing and Philosophical Fellowship: Developing listening and communication skills can help to create deeper connections with others through circling, paraphrasing and philosophical fellowship.
Circling, paraphrasing and philosophical fellowship are powerful tools that can help us to develop our listening and communication skills.Through circling, we learn to pay attention to our partner's body language and to explore what is happening inside of them.Paraphrasing is about understanding and conveying what we heard with as few of our own words as possible.With philosophical fellowship, we use philosophical texts to open ourselves up to a sage-like presence, to be transformed by it.Through chanting and simple speech, we try to convey as much as possible in as few words as possible.All these techniques can help us to strengthen our listening ability and to create a deeper intimacy with others.
Exploring Interdependence of Physical and Spiritual Realms: To gain an understanding of the divine, we must be open to perspectives and internalize teachings.
In order to understand life, we must be open to different perspectives.We must listen to others and try to understand how their points of view converge with our own.As we do this, it helps us to make sense of the texts and teachings of those who have come before us.We can then take those teachings and internalize them, making them our own.Through this process, we can make connections between the physical and spiritual realms, understanding that they are interdependent and that they both make up the larger reality.By doing this, we can gain an understanding of the divine and how it relates to us.
Cultivating Wisdom and Meaningful Connections to Life: Expand cognitive flexibility and have an ecology of practices to fall in love with the mystery and depths of reality.
We can enter into a profound relationship with no-thingness, just like we can with another person.We can fall in love with the mystery and depths of reality, not just believing propositions.We can experience timelessness in activities such as surfing and mountain climbing, which can fill the void religion has left in the modern world.To do this, we must expand our cognitive flexibility, and have an ecology of practices that guards against self-deception.This is how we cultivate wisdom and meaningful connections to life.
Respecting Religious Traditions and Exploring Neoplatonism and Science: Respect religious traditions and their cultural roots, while also exploring Neoplatonism and science to reach a feeling of connection with ourselves and the depths of reality.
Religio is a feeling of connection with ourselves and the depths of reality.There are ecologies of practices that can help us reach this feeling, both inside and outside of religious traditions.We should respect and learn from religious traditions, but also those who don’t identify with any religious affiliation.Sufism is an example of this, with its powerful worldviews, cultural frameworks and poetry.It’s important to receive these teachings with respect and not commodify them, respecting their cultural roots.Neoplatonism and science can also enter into reciprocal reconstruction with each other.
Exploring Educational Learnings to Transform Our Lives: John Vervaeke's journey of personal discovery is a powerful example of how educational learnings can shape our lives.
John Vervaeke's journey of personal discovery is a powerful example of how educational learnings can shape our lives.His journey began with leaving Christianity and encountering Socrates.He further explored these concepts through reading Pierre Hadot, discovering 4E cognitive science, and teaching a course on Buddhism and Cognitive Science.Through these learnings, he developed a powerful framework for understanding wisdom and self-transcendence.His journey culminated in meeting people who shared his passion for these ideas and creating the Awakening from the Meaning Crisis YouTube series.This story is a testament to the profound impact that exploring educational learnings can have on our lives.
Unlocking Wisdom Through Sacred Texts and Poetry: Reading sacred texts, poetry and engaging with the four Es can help open our minds to new perspectives and possibilities.
Reading sacred texts like Plato's Dialogues and Plotinus' Ennead can help open up our minds to new perspectives and understandings.It can be a transformative experience, as the wisdom of these texts helps us to interpret the world around us in new ways.To maximize the impact of these texts, we should also read secondary sources which help explain the philosophy behind them.Poetry can also be a source of profound spiritual nourishment - Rilke, Blake, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Yeats are some of the greats here.It's not necessary to read the poetry in one's native language; even in translation, it can be powerful.Our understanding of the world should also be shaped by the four Es: Embodied, Embedded, Enacted and Extended.By understanding the world in this way, we can open our minds to new possibilities.
Exploring Our Cognitive Abilities Beyond What We Know and Understand: Our cognitive abilities extend beyond our knowledge and understanding, and are greatly impacted by the people, tools, and resources around us, as well as our bodies.
Our cognitive abilities are not just limited to what we know and understand.We are surrounded by a world of other people, tools and resources that can help us solve problems that seem unsolvable.For example, when two people have a conversation they are solving a problem together, and they are using objects, language and literacy which are not natural to them.This problem-solving ability is extended beyond individuals, as seen in the example of naval navigation where a team of people, with different roles, use multiple tools and resources together to navigate a ship.Additionally, our body is an integral part of our cognition and can affect how we focus our attention and what we care about.Our bodies are unique and give us different perspectives and salience, which can be seen in the example of a lion and a human.Finally, our cognition is precious and meaningful because of our bodies, and without them we would not be able to experience life as we do.
Understanding the Role of Emotions in Learning: Emotions are key motivators and play a crucial role in learning and understanding. Exaptation is when something is repurposed for a different purpose, such as the tongue for speaking.
Emotions play a crucial role in learning and understanding.Without emotions, it is difficult to be motivated or to have any reason to care about a topic.Emotions are not irrational, and without them our agency would be limited.Additionally, much of what we learn relies on a concept known as exaptation.This is when something that has been built for a particular purpose is repurposed for a different one.For example, our tongues were not initially created for speaking, yet they are now used for language.Finally, when studying consciousness, it is important to consider both the nature of consciousness and its function.Furthermore, understanding its function can help explain qualia, which are the subjective feelings of experiences like the colour red.
Understanding The Complexity of Consciousness: Consciousness is associated with relevance realization, the ability to recognize what is important and relevant. Long-term meditative practice can induce a “pure consciousness event” where one is conscious of nothing, yet still remains conscious.
Our understanding of consciousness is complex and varied.We know that different people and even animals can have different qualia, or sensory perceptions.Japan is an example of this, with their green and blue not being the same green and blue we see.Even color blindness can cause different qualia.It also means that consciousness isn't limited to humans; animals have it too.We now know that consciousness is associated with relevance realization, the ability to recognize what is important and relevant.This ability is enhanced in complex situations and when there are ill-defined problems.It also overlaps with things like working memory and attention.Furthermore, qualia can be broken into two categories: adjectival and adverbial.Adjectival qualia are things like blueness and greenness, while adverbial qualia are things like here-ness, now-ness, and togetherness.Long-term meditative practice has been known to induce a "pure consciousness event" where one is conscious of nothing, yet still remains conscious.This suggests that adjectival qualia are not necessary for consciousness.Ultimately, it can be said that relevance realization is the key to understanding consciousness.
Understanding the Fundamental Building Blocks of Reality: We can understand the universe by exploring the fundamental building blocks of reality, which include consciousness, cognition, life, and self-organization. This knowledge helps us to appreciate the interconnectedness of the world.
Learning from this section is that everything in the universe has an inner subjective experience and the fundamental building blocks of reality are space, time, force, matter, and energy.Consciousness is one of the fundamental building blocks, and it is present in everything, although it is not full-blown like ours.There is no evidence to suggest that consciousness is trapped in objects, but there is evidence of a deep continuity between the principles of consciousness, cognition, life, and self-organization.We can make sense of the universe around us by understanding the fundamental building blocks of reality.Consciousness is one of these building blocks and it is present in everything, although it is not the same as ours.We can see a deep continuity between the principles of consciousness, cognition, life, and self-organization, and this helps us to understand how the universe works.This knowledge helps us to appreciate the complexity and interconnectedness of the world around us.
Celebrating the Uniqueness of Our Perspectives: Appreciate diversity and explore common ground to learn from each other, understanding our perspectives and those of others.
We all have different perspectives and aspects that shape how we approach life.This allows us to have preferences and care for one thing more than another.Living things have a unique ability to self-organize and direct their behaviour to preserve their own existence, something non-living things cannot do.In deeper forms of relating and perceiving, we can discover a sense of intimacy to the people around us, the collective, and even the sacred.This is something shared by people of all backgrounds, and can be seen in the use of spiritual language.Even when people have different views, such as the importance of narrative, they can still find common ground to learn from each other.Understanding our perspectives and those of others helps us to better communicate and appreciate the world around us.
Distinguishing Between Essential and Non-Essential To Enhance Cognition: Respect each other, engage in genuine dialogue and strive to strengthen each other's arguments to enhance learning and cognition.
It is important to be able to distinguish between what is essential and what is not, in order to be able to learn and develop our cognition.We can learn from laws and theories, which are powerful and important.We can also learn from practices and engineering of practices.Even when we disagree, we must always respect each other and engage in genuine dialogue.We should have a nuanced understanding of different concepts and not just reject or accept them without thought.Identity politics can be a trap, and civil debate is possible without taking a black or white stance.We must be adaptive and intelligent in our approach to learning and always strive to strengthen each other's arguments.
Strengthening Self-Correction Through Opponent Processing: By engaging in meaningful practices together, we can cultivate shared ecologies of practices to form a collective understanding of the truth and support each other's self-correction and growth.
We all have the capacity for self-correction, and it can be strengthened through opponent processing.This is best exemplified in a democracy, where different perspectives come together to form a collective understanding of the truth.The same principle can be applied to any group of people, such as a group of friends, who can help each other to overcome their biases and break free from confirmation bias.What's more, meaningful experiences can be cultivated through shared ecologies of practices, such as meditation and contemplation, which can deepen relationships and lead to a sense of shared sacredness.By committing to practices together, we can be each other's best means of self-correction and growth.
Becoming a Connoisseur of Ecologies of Practices: John Vervaeke's Awakening from the Meaning Crisis and After Socrates YouTube series provides viewers with an argument, points of reflection, and instructions for practices to enhance capacity for participating in life's meanings.
John Vervaeke encourages people to become connoisseurs and creators of ecologies of practices, in order to enhance the capacity for participating in meaning.He created the Awakening from the Meaning Crisis and After Socrates YouTube series to provide viewers with an argument and points of reflection, as well as instructions for practices.After Socrates includes intergroup discussion, and provides viewers with a pedagogical program for a Socratic way of life.Two words, subjective and objective, are signposts of the cultural cognitive grammar, giving us a basic conceptual vocabulary.By understanding the original meanings of these words, we can better understand our relationship to life.
Unlocking the Connection Between Subjective and Objective: Understanding the concept of the 'transjective' can help us create a meaningful and connected way of life.
Learning to open yourself to others and understand that love comes from a reciprocal connection can be a difficult but transformative experience.John Vervaeke explains how the division of subjective and objective has become so well-entrenched in our culture that we don't even recognize that it wasn't always this way.He speaks of the word "matter" and how it has changed in its meaning since the scientific revolution.He explores the concept of the 'transjective', which binds the inner and outer realms together.Through his own experience, Vervaeke has found that this kind of connection allows us to experience life in a new and profound way.By deepening our understanding of this concept, we can move towards a more meaningful and connected way of life.
Exploring Our Relationship with Reality: Our understanding of the world is based on mutual participation and connectedness, which is best explained through making rather than description.
Understanding our relationship with reality is important to understanding how we know and interact with the world.There is both an old and new way of exploring this relationship, from the Neoplatonic tradition to cutting-edge cognitive science.Both emphasize the idea of mutual participation and connectedness, which is the fundamental fabric of our understanding.This understanding is about more than the subjective-objective dichotomy and is best explained by those who can make, rather than just describe.4E cognitive science also supports this idea, by suggesting that the mind is between the brain and the world, rather than just in the head.