John Vervaeke

John Vervaeke
Website	https://johnvervaeke.com/
Known for	Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, meaning crisis research, cognitive science of wisdom
Fields	Cognitive science, Philosophy of mind, Psychology, Consciousness studies
Wikidata	Q109279267

John Vervaeke is a Canadian cognitive scientist, philosopher, and professor at the University of Toronto, known for his work on the “meaning crisis” and the cultivation of wisdom. He serves as an Associate Professor in psychology and the Program Director of the Cognitive Science program at the University of Toronto. Vervaeke’s interdisciplinary approach bridges neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and spiritual traditions in addressing the crisis of meaning in modern society. He is the creator of the popular 50-part YouTube lecture series Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, which integrates cognitive science and wisdom traditions to explore how humanity might regain a sense of meaning. Vervaeke is frequently involved with emerging intellectual movements such as the Game B and metamodern communities, engaging in public dialogues about culture, cognition, and collective sense-making.

Early Life and Education

John Vervaeke earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Toronto in 1997. His doctoral work focused on cognitive science and philosophy, laying the foundation for his later interdisciplinary research. Little is published about his early life, but his academic training combined Western philosophical traditions with cognitive psychology. This blend of disciplines would later inform Vervaeke’s unique perspective on cognition and meaningful living. After completing his Ph.D., Vervaeke began teaching at the University of Toronto in the 1990s and has remained there throughout his career.

Academic Career

Vervaeke is an award-winning lecturer who has been teaching at the University of Toronto since 1994. He holds the position of Associate Professor (teaching stream) in the Department of Psychology and is the Director of the Cognitive Science Program. In these roles, he has designed and taught a variety of courses bridging psychology and cognitive science. His classes have covered topics such as thinking and reasoning (with emphasis on insight problem-solving), cognitive development (focused on dynamic systems of development), and higher cognitive processes emphasizing intelligence, rationality, mindfulness, and the psychology of wisdom. Vervaeke also taught in the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program for 15 years, offering a course on Buddhism and Cognitive Science that linked ancient contemplative practices with modern cognitive theory. This reflects his interest in integrating Eastern philosophies (like Buddhist psychology) with Western scientific approaches.

As a teacher, Vervaeke has been recognized for excellence in pedagogy. He has received multiple teaching awards at the University of Toronto, including the Students’ Administrative Council and Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students Teaching Award (2001) and the Ranjini Ghosh Excellence in Teaching Award (2012). He also founded and directs the Consciousness and Wisdom Studies Laboratory at U of T, where he and students investigate topics related to insight, mindfulness, and rationality. Vervaeke’s dedication to teaching and curriculum development has made him a pivotal figure in the university’s cognitive science and psychology education programs.

Research and Theoretical Contributions

In his research, John Vervaeke focuses on the nature of cognition, meaning, and wisdom. He has published scholarly articles on a range of topics including relevance realization, general intelligence, insight problem-solving, mindfulness, metaphor, and the psychology of wisdom. One of his key theoretical ideas is the concept of “recursive relevance realization,” which describes how the human mind dynamically determines what information is salient or meaningful in any given context. This theory addresses the frame problem in cognitive science – how intelligence homes in on relevant information in a vast sea of possibilities – and ties it to our capacity for insight and avoiding self-deception. Vervaeke posits that the same cognitive processes that confer adaptive intelligence also make us prone to self-deceptive or maladaptive behavior if not guided by wisdom.

Another central theme in Vervaeke’s work is the current “meaning crisis” in Western culture. He argues that modern secular society faces a deficit of meaning and wisdom despite exponential growth in knowledge and information. He has described this predicament as a “wisdom famine” – a situation in which traditional sources of wisdom and community have eroded, leaving many individuals with a sense of disconnection and nihilism. In Vervaeke’s analysis, historical forces such as the decline of organized religion, the rise of scientific materialism, and the fragmentation of worldviews have all contributed to a cultural crisis where people struggle to find a viable framework for significance and value in life. His work often references the need to rediscover or reinvent “wisdom traditions” in a form compatible with modern scientific understanding.

Vervaeke’s interdisciplinary approach draws on multiple fields to address these issues. He integrates findings from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, artificial intelligence research, linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy to form a comprehensive picture of human cognition and meaning-making. For example, he often employs insights from neuroscience about attention and neuroplasticity alongside philosophical concepts from Plato, Aristotle, or Eastern meditative traditions. This synthesis is in service of understanding how human beings can cultivate wisdom and overcome the meaning crisis. Vervaeke advocates for 4E cognition models – the view that cognition is embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended – rather than seeing the mind as an abstract computer detached from lived experience. This 4E perspective underlies his exploration of mindfulness and flow states, emphasizing that meaning emerges from our dynamic interaction with our environment (physical, social, and cultural).

In 2017, Vervaeke co-authored the book “Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis.” This work, written with Christopher Mastropietro and Filip Miscevic, uses the figure of the zombie as a metaphor for the spiritual vacuity in modern Western society. The book argues that the popularity of zombie themes in media reflects an underlying cultural intuition of meaninglessness and decay in the contemporary world. By integrating psychology and cognitive science with analyses of pop culture and history, Zombies in Western Culture diagnoses the modern meaning crisis and calls for a renewal of wisdom traditions in a form accessible today. This publication further established Vervaeke’s reputation as a scholar who bridges academic research with cultural commentary on existential issues.

Awakening from the Meaning Crisis

One of Vervaeke’s most significant contributions to public discourse is his video lecture series “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.” Released on YouTube in 2019, this series comprises 50 hour-long lectures and has garnered a large international audience. In the series, Vervaeke traces the historical and cognitive roots of humanity’s quest for meaning, surveying developments from ancient shamanism and the Axial Age, through the scientific revolution and modern era, up to the present-day meaning crisis. The lectures draw upon an “astonishing encyclopedic knowledge” of diverse fields – including cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy, religion, mythology, cultural history, and more – to provide an integrative narrative of how concepts of meaning and wisdom have evolved. He examines figures and ideas ranging from Plato and Aristotle, to Buddhism and Neoplatonism, to Descartes and the Enlightenment, to existentialism and post-modernity, analyzing how each epoch’s understanding of meaning contributed to or alleviated the current crisis.

Awakening from the Meaning Crisis offers both a diagnosis of the problem and hints of a solution. Vervaeke argues that modern society’s meaning crisis can be viewed as a “crisis of wisdom cultivation” – while we have advanced in technological knowledge (“knowledge how” and “knowledge that”), we have neglected “knowledge why” or wisdom about how to live well. He highlights that institutions which historically trained wisdom (for example, monasteries or philosophical schools) have largely vanished or been marginalized, and modern education often focuses on narrow skills for the job market at the expense of broader existential development. Throughout the series, Vervaeke introduces and explains concepts such as relevance realization, the nature of insight, the role of metaphor and narrative in cognition, and the importance of what he calls an “ecology of practices” (a system of mutually reinforcing practices like meditation, contemplation, dialogue, etc., designed to enhance wisdom and meaning).

The series was influential in that it resonated with many viewers seeking deeper understanding beyond soundbite culture. Individual lecture episodes have attracted tens of thousands of views (some exceeding 100,000), and by 2021 the series had reached an estimated 150,000 viewers worldwide. It has been lauded as a “powerful course” that combines philosophy, cognitive science and consciousness studies into an analysis of the contemporary human condition. Vervaeke not only diagnoses the sources of nihilism, anxiety, and disconnection (citing factors like information overload, loss of communal value systems, and “bullshit” in the sense of pervasive misinformation), but also emphasizes the possibility of an “awakening.” In the concluding lectures, he sketches what a renewed project of meaning-making might entail: reviving ancient wisdom in a form compatible with secular modernity, or what he famously calls creating a “religion that is not a religion.” This would involve secular practices and communities that fulfill the functions of religion – providing belonging, existential orientation, and the cultivation of virtue and wisdom – without requiring adherence to a fixed dogmatic belief system.

The impact of Awakening from the Meaning Crisis has extended beyond YouTube. The ideas from the series have sparked reading groups, online communities, and spin-off discussions among academics, spiritual practitioners, and lay audiences interested in bridging science and spirituality. Vervaeke’s articulation of the meaning crisis has given a coherent language to a diffuse sense of cultural distress, and his integration of knowledge has made the series a reference point in discussions of modern spirituality and mental health. The series also paved the way for Vervaeke’s subsequent media projects focused on practical implementations of wisdom cultivation.

Media Work and Public Engagement

Beyond Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, John Vervaeke has engaged in several other media projects to disseminate his ideas and foster dialogue:

“After Socrates” (2023): This is a 24-part video series that Vervaeke launched as a follow-up to Awakening. After Socrates centers on practical philosophy and the art of dialogical wisdom. It explores how to “create the theory, the practice, and the ecology of practices” for living in a Socratic way. In this series, Vervaeke emphasizes Socratic dialectic and communal inquiry as paths to cultivating wisdom. Each episode combines theoretical frameworks with pedagogical exercises, encouraging viewers to engage in practices like reflective journaling, meditative contemplation, and structured dialogue (analogous to Socratic dialogues). The premise is that the Socratic way of life – a life of examined beliefs, continual questioning, and pursuit of virtue – is urgently needed today because it helps develop wisdom while remaining respectful both to spiritual traditions and to modern scientific insight. After Socrates is thus an attempt to bridge ancient philosophy and contemporary cognitive science in a practical, hands-on manner. It reflects Vervaeke’s broader commitment to not just talk about meaning and wisdom, but to help people practice processes that realize meaning in their lives.

“Voices with Vervaeke”: Voices with Vervaeke is an ongoing podcast and YouTube series in which John Vervaeke hosts long-form conversations with other thinkers, scholars, and community leaders. Launched around 2020, this series features dialogues on topics related to meaning, wisdom, culture, and science. Vervaeke engages with a wide range of guests – from cognitive scientists and philosophers to spiritual teachers and proponents of new social movements. According to the Unified Theory of Knowledge (UTOK) community, Voices with Vervaeke was developed to allow dialogue with “leading edge thinkers” and to explore how we might “adaptively cultivate meaning and connection in the decades to come”. Notable discussions have included themes like metamodern spirituality, the intersection of science and mysticism, and responses to the meta-crisis. For example, episodes have seen Vervaeke converse with figures such as Brendan Graham Dempsey on metamodern approaches to Christianity, with systems thinker Nora Bateson, with Game B co-founder Jim Rutt, and with philosopher Daniel Schmachtenberger on collective intelligence and sense-making. Through these dialogues, Vervaeke positions himself as a connector of diverse perspectives, modeling the kind of synthetic, open-ended inquiry he advocates. The style of conversation is often deeply explorative (“dialectic into dialogos”), aiming to reach shared insight rather than winner-take-all debate.

Other projects: Vervaeke’s media presence also includes planned or ongoing series like “Walking the Philosophical Silk Road,” which is expected to delve into the history of philosophy and culture (as suggested by its title, although as of 2025 this series is still forthcoming). Additionally, Vervaeke maintains an active YouTube channel where he publishes lectures, Q\&A sessions, and collaborative discussions, and he engages with his audience via platforms like Patreon and live-streamed events. He has been a frequent guest on podcasts and media platforms focusing on deep culture and systemic change, such as Rebel Wisdom, The Stoa, and The Jim Rutt Show, thereby reaching audiences outside traditional academia. In all these endeavors, Vervaeke’s goal is consistent: to make cognitive science and philosophy accessible and applicable as tools for personal and societal transformation.

Vervaeke’s work in media and public education reflects his belief that addressing the meaning crisis requires broad participation and the sharing of insights across communities. He often encourages the formation of practice groups and “dialogical circles” among his viewers. In fact, many followers of Awakening from the Meaning Crisis formed online groups to discuss each lecture and to practice meditation or contemplation exercises he recommended. This underscores a hallmark of Vervaeke’s approach – bridging theory and practice – as he leverages modern media to revive ancient wisdom traditions in a communal, interactive form.

Collaborations and Community Involvement

John Vervaeke’s interdisciplinary and practical approach has led him to collaborate with a variety of individuals and communities outside of traditional academia. He is deeply involved in the loose network of initiatives often referred to as the “sense-making community,” which includes the Game B movement and metamodern circles. These collaborations reflect Vervaeke’s desire to put ideas into practice collectively and to co-create new cultural paradigms.

One notable collaboration is with Game B thinkers. Game B is an experimental intellectual movement exploring new “operating systems” for society beyond the perceived failures of the current “Game A” (mainstream competitive capitalism and politics). Vervaeke has engaged with leading Game B figures such as Jordan Hall (also known as Jordan Greenhall) – an early co-founder of the Game B concept – in a series of dialogues about how to foster a “religion that is not a religion” and new forms of community. In late 2019, Vervaeke and Hall held joint discussions (sometimes termed “Dialogos” sessions) on designing a spiritual framework for the future that could address the meaning crisis without recourse to traditional religion. These conversations, often involving others like Guy Sengstock (originator of the circling practice) and Vervaeke’s close colleague Christopher Mastropietro, explored topics such as collective intelligence, self-organizing dialogical practices, and the integration of scientific and spiritual worldviews. According to observers, Vervaeke’s collaboration with Game B figures represents an effort to link his cognitive science-based insights with a broader social movement aimed at cultural renewal. The Unified Theory of Knowledge network noted that Vervaeke and Hall’s joint podcast in 2020 signaled “future projects… emerging to make additional linkages” between the meaning crisis work and the Game B vision for a more resilient, wise society.

Vervaeke is also connected to metamodernism, a cultural movement or sensibility that seeks to move beyond postmodern skepticism by integrating sincerity and hope with critical awareness. He has engaged with metamodern thinkers and content creators—appearing, for instance, in dialogues on The Stoa (a platform for metamodern philosophy and community) alongside Daniel Görtz (pen name Hanzi Freinacht), a leading metamodern theorist. In his Voices with Vervaeke series, he has conversed with Brent Cooper and Brendan Graham Dempsey, who are writers in the metamodern spirituality space. These discussions examine how to “update” or rekindle spiritual meaning in a way that resonates with people today – a core metamodern concern. Vervaeke’s role in these conversations is often to provide the cognitive science perspective on why certain practices (like ritual, myth, meditation) are effective for meaning-making, and how they might be reframed in a metasystematic, pluralistic context. Through such collaborations, Vervaeke contributes to the metamodern agenda of “reimagining meaning” in the 21st century, while the metamodern community provides him a testing ground for his ideas among proactive cultural creatives.

In the broader sense-making community, Vervaeke is frequently mentioned alongside figures from the Intellectual Dark Web or “liminal web” who address the meta-crisis of society. Commentators have grouped him with people like Jordan Hall, Daniel Schmachtenberger, Jamie Wheal, Nora Bateson, and others who are attempting to craft new narratives and practices for a world in transition. What distinguishes Vervaeke among this cohort is his strong academic grounding and his focus on the science of cognition and wisdom. However, like these peers, he draws not just on intellectual analysis but also on “embodied” and transformative experiences – for example, he emphasizes meditative insight (mindfulness) and dialogical interaction as much as theory. This makes his collaborations inherently interdisciplinary: he might be in conversation with a neuroscientist in one instance, a contemplative spiritual teacher in another, and a systems-change activist in another. All share a common goal of enhancing our collective ability to make sense of an increasingly complex, fragmented world.

A concrete example of community-building is Vervaeke’s advocacy for the formation of modern “wisdom communities.” He often uses the term Sangha (a term from Buddhism meaning spiritual community) to describe what is needed – groups of people dedicated to truth-seeking, self-cultivation, and mutual insight. In a lecture, Vervaeke pointed out that to really address the meaning crisis, individual practice is not enough; a “self-reflective community” is required where people can come together to practice and develop collective intelligence. This idea resonates with metamodern and Game B proponents who talk about collective sense-making and decentralized networks of collaboration. Vervaeke’s involvement in events like the Emerge conference and the Rebel Wisdom retreats has further solidified his connections to these communities. In these venues, he often leads exercises in dialogos or gives talks on how to train wisdom, thereby directly contributing to the experimental culture of sense-making that groups are trying to foster.

Through these collaborations, John Vervaeke has moved beyond the confines of academia to become an active participant in a live social philosophy. His willingness to engage with non-traditional communities and co-create knowledge has made him a bridge figure between the university and grassroots intellectual movements. It also exemplifies the very thesis of his work: that the meaning crisis can be met only by combining rigorous cognitive science with lived communal experience in search of wisdom.

Influence and Reception

John Vervaeke’s influence can be observed in both academic and non-academic spheres. Within academia, he is respected as a researcher on insight problem-solving and consciousness, but it is his broader theoretical synthesis and public outreach that have defined his impact. Vervaeke has been called “the prophet of the meaning crisis” in some profiles, a testament to how closely he is associated with this concept. His framing of Western culture’s dilemma as a lack of wisdom and meaning has provided a useful lens for scholars of religion, psychology, and philosophy to discuss contemporary issues. For instance, the term “meaning crisis” has entered into the vocabulary of psychology and spirituality discourse, partly due to Vervaeke’s work – it is now commonly used to describe phenomena like rising depression/suicide rates, polarization, and nihilism in technologically advanced societies. Other thought leaders often cite Vervaeke’s lecture series or use his ideas as a springboard for their own. The cognitive scientist and psychologist Gregg Henriques, for example, has integrated Vervaeke’s relevance realization model into his Unified Theory of Knowledge, noting its power in clarifying dual-process cognition.

In the public sphere, Vervaeke’s reception has been largely positive among those seeking alternatives to both staunch scientism and traditional religion. His Awakening from the Meaning Crisis series, in particular, was lauded for its depth and clarity. Many viewers credit it with illuminating personal struggles of meaning and providing a roadmap toward greater understanding and purpose. The series’ popularity on YouTube—often an unlikely venue for hour-long academic lectures—demonstrates an appetite for the kind of long-form, substantive content Vervaeke produces. It has been described as “monumental” and “incredible” by commentators in online forums and blogs, with recommendations circulating in communities interested in philosophy, self-improvement, and the intellectual dark web. Vervaeke’s ability to articulate complex ideas (like the erosion of the axial age religions or the neuroscience of insight) in an accessible narrative is frequently highlighted as one of his strengths.

Among the emerging network of “liminal” or sense-making intellectuals, Vervaeke is regarded as a key figure who brings a rigor and focus on wisdom that complements other figures’ work on societal change. David Fuller, the founder of Rebel Wisdom, has featured Vervaeke multiple times, noting that his perspectives on meaning and “ecology of practices” provide practical hope against a backdrop of cultural crisis. Members of the Game B community have similarly embraced his ideas; for example, Jim Rutt (former Santa Fe Institute chairman and Game B proponent) has hosted Vervaeke on The Jim Rutt Show for multi-part conversations, indicating the high esteem and interest in which his ideas are held in that milieu.

Vervaeke’s influence also extends into spiritual and religious discussions. His collaboration with pastors and theologians – notably his dialogues with Paul VanderKlay, a Christian minister with an online following – show a mutual respect between Vervaeke’s cognitive science approach and traditional religious attempts to grapple with meaning. Some Christians appreciate how Vervaeke revalorizes the notion of wisdom and even interprets aspects of Christianity (like agape or the logos) in modern terms, though he himself is not preaching a religion. In these circles, his term “religion that is not a religion” has sparked conversations about what a future spiritual framework might look like. Meanwhile, secular mindfulness and meditation practitioners find validation in Vervaeke’s synthesis, as it gives a scientific and philosophical grounding to practices they find beneficial.

It is worth noting that not all reception has been uncritical. A minority of commentators question whether Vervaeke’s work leans too much into mysticism or speculative philosophy for a scientist. Some skeptics, for instance, might label his approach as “guru-like” for blending scientific language with spiritual themes. They point out that terms like “meaning crisis” can be vague and that solving it may be more about social policy than personal enlightenment. However, Vervaeke generally addresses such critiques by emphasizing that he is not offering quick fixes or esoteric knowledge, but rather reviving time-honored practices (like Socratic dialogue and meditation) in a scientifically informed framework. The overall response suggests that Vervaeke has struck a chord with a broad segment of intellectually curious individuals who feel disenfranchised by both traditional academia and popular self-help platitudes.

In summary, John Vervaeke’s influence is evident in the growing conversation about meaning and wisdom in the 21st century. He has helped shift this conversation from the fringes into a more mainstream consideration, at least among educated online audiences. His interdisciplinary, ecumenical approach—blending cognitive science, philosophy, and spirituality—has opened up new pathways for collaboration between scientists, philosophers, religious thinkers, and cultural creatives. As the challenges of what some call the “meta-crisis” (encompassing climate, mental health, social fragmentation, etc.) become more apparent, Vervaeke’s work continues to gain relevance. By reintroducing the importance of wisdom cultivation and providing both a theoretical and practical framework for it, he has influenced a nascent movement aimed at an “awakening” from meaninglessness towards a more connected, purposeful way of life.

References

John Vervaeke official website – About
Peterson Academy – Instructor profile of Dr. John Vervaeke
Gregg Henriques (2022), Psychology Today blog – Vervaeke’s role and courses
What Is Emerging (Emerge) profile (2021) – “We are suffering from a wisdom famine in the West.”
Unified Theory of Knowledge – “Related Perspectives” (Henriques, 2021) on Vervaeke’s work
Game B Wiki – John Vervaeke entry (2024)
Game B Wiki – Awakening from the Meaning Crisis entry
Kowalski, Kyle (2020), Sloww – “8 Profound Podcasts…Meaning Crisis, Sensemaking, & Game B”
Emerge article – “A Story to Bind Us: The Intellectual Deep Web…” (2019)
John Vervaeke, After Socrates series description (2023).