Future Thinkers

We had a great pleasure to interview John Vervaeke, a lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology. John's excellent lecture series on YouTube called Awakening From the Meaning Crisis has inspired us to invite him on the show and discuss how to overcome the meaning crisis in today's world.

In this interview we also dive deep into the topics of integrating scientific and traditional views of the search for meaning, multiple kinds of knowing, and the ecology of transformational practices. We draw on various resources from cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, religion and spirituality.

This episode is divided in two parts. In Part 1 we talk about what is the meaning crisis, why it has emerged and what are some of the practices and solutions to deal with it.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/98

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In this episode we discuss further on one of our favorite topics - how to gain more sovereignty in modern world, as well as how it relates to the notion of personal identity. We use Jordan Greenhall's framework to describe sovereignty as developing and practicing three basic capacities: perception, sense making and agency. We discuss these capacities in the context of dominant framework of secular thought in the Western world, the crisis of meaning, entrepreneurship, identity politics etc.

The ideas and inspiration for our discussions come from weekly group calls that are part of the course in personal evolution that we are currently facilitating.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/97

Mike and Euvie discuss the Jungian concept of The Shadow, and why it is relevant today as a framework for developing personal and collective consciousness.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/96

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Michael Taft, a long-time meditation teacher, author, and founder of Deconstructing Yourself blog and podcast, discusses the stages of personal development and the awakening path, deconstructing reality, and the benefits of a regular meditation practice.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/95

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In Part 2 of our interview with media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, we talk about transhumanism, the distrust in the corporate-run digital environment, and using intersectionalism to reunite human species.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/94

Part 1 of the interview: http://www.futurethinkers.org/93

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Our guest in the next two episodes is Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist, lecturer, and author of Team Human, as well as a dozen other books on media, technology, and culture. In recent years, he has become a critic of technology for separating us from what makes us human.

In Part 1 of this interview we discuss the still untapped possibilities of digital technology, the causes and potential solutions to dystopian visions of the future, as well as transhumanism and its assumptions about human nature.

Complete show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/93

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We're excited to host Rupert Sheldrake in this episode, a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. Besides getting into the details of this hypothesis, we also talk about paradigm shifts in science, psy phenomena, experiments in consciousness, and about his new book called Ways to Go Beyond And Why They Work, where he describes some of the most well known spiritual practices for altering consciousness.

Complete show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/92

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This is Part 2 of our interview with Joe Brewer of the Center for Applied Cultural Evolution, where we talk about modern versions of rites of passage, and why they are important. We also discuss the ways to support cultural evolution and develop regenerative cultures that are capable of dealing with global problems and existential risks.

Show notes page: http://www.futurethinkers.org/91

Part 1 of the interview: http://www.futurethinkers.org/90

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Our guest in this episode is Joe Brewer, Executive Director at the Center for Applied Cultural Evolution. Joe is a complexity researcher, cognitive scientist, and evangelist for regenerative culture design. We invited him onto the show because we felt that our ideas about adult development, rites of passage, and overcoming the chasm of nihilism strongly resonated with his thinking and work on cultural evolution. This interview turned out to be very dense and we talked about complex subjects, so we divided the episode in two parts.

In Part 1 we talk about what kind of education we need in order to prepare for an evolutionary transition, why even intellectuals can't wrap their heads around climate change, and the importance of the grieving process for psychological and spiritual growth.

Complete show notes with links: http://www.futurethinkers.org/90

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Identity politics have become a hot topic in the Western world. People tend to attach their sense of identity to certain political ideas, gender identity, ethnic or religious group, sexual orientation etc, and often get triggered when they perceive their identity is being threatened.

Today we discuss why it is useful and important to detach from these categories in order to develop psychologically. We talk about how to deconstruct your identity and tell the stories of how we have done it.

• What it means to deconstruct your identity, and how it enables us to see things more objectively
• The current narratives of diversity, oppression and globalization as formative forces
• The relationship between individual expression and narcissistic culture
• Why it is difficult to stand out in a globalized culture and why we emphasize differences
• Why people remain attached to ideas even after those ideas are disproved
• The role of basic human needs when it comes to attachments
• The different methods for deconstructing identity
• Getting comfortable with contradiction and letting go of the attachment to results

Complete show notes with links: http://www.futurethinkers.org/89

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