Dr. John Vervaeke

Watch the first episode of our new season of Lectern Dialogues! This season’s guest is Zevi Slavin. Zevi Slavin is a philosopher, educator, and public scholar whose work explores the intersections of mysticism and philosophy across traditions. As the creator of Seekers of Unity, he is dedicated to reviving and reinterpreting the voices of philosophical mystics, with a focus on Jewish thought and...

Thank you for joining us for this in-depth solo lecture from Dr. John Vervaeke, where he continues his exploration of cognition, meaning, and spirit from the perspective of relevance realization and predictive processing. In this talk, John takes us on a journey through the architecture of the mind, explaining how voluntary necessity, scientific idealization, and porous participation form the...

How do we rebuild trust and meaning in a world where certainty and connection are breaking down? In this episode of The Lectern, John welcomes Kieran McCammon and Jordan Hall to discuss the 'trust apocalypse' and its intersection with the meaning crisis. They delve into the vicious cycle between the loss of trust and the fragmentation of communities, exploring how these issues reverberate through...

Bishop Maximus is a theologian, scholar, and Orthodox bishop whose work bridges ancient Christian thought with contemporary philosophical inquiry. A leading voice in the revival of patristic epistemology, he focuses on the integration of faith and reason through figures such as Clement of Alexandria. His research explores how early Christian thinkers synthesized Greek philosophy with theological...

The Calling to Reorient the Self How can the sacred be recovered in a world fractured by autonomy and fragmentation? In this deeply personal episode of Kainos on The Lectern, recorded during a session hosted by Alexander Beiner on Kainos, John Vervaeke shares reflections from his recent pilgrimage across Europe—what he calls the Philosophical Silk Road. Weaving through sacred conversations and...

"To what extent is authenticity a solitary alignment with the inner self, versus a relational and dialogical process shaped through communion with others?" John Vervaeke, Gregg Henriques and Matthew Schaublin come together for a discussion covering the concept of authenticity. Matthew Schaublin presents findings from two studies, one of which employs a mixed-methods design to examine the...

The Crisis of Being 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...

This conversation marks the beginning of a deeper inquiry for Dr. John Vervaeke: What if pilgrimage is not a retreat from the world, but a return to what is most real? Joined by Ethan Hsieh, John explicates his intent to preregister his intellectual and philosophical orientation before beginning his metaphorical pilgrimage. Drawing on parallels with psychology's preregistration practice, John's...

Ritual, Wisdom, and What’s Lost Sebastian Morello was trained in philosophy by Sir Roger Scruton and Andrew Pinsent. He is a lecturer, columnist, and popular public speaker in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Morello has previously co-authored books on subjects of philosophy and education. He lives in Bedfordshire, England, with his wife and children. Each quarter, John engages in...

Can artificial intelligence truly become wise? In this landmark lecture, John Vervaeke explores the future of AI through a lens few dare to examine: the limits of intelligence itself. He unpacks the critical differences between intelligence, rationality, reasonableness, and wisdom—terms often used interchangeably in discussions around AGI. Drawing from decades of research in cognitive science and...