Dr. John Vervaeke

What happens when data knows us better than we know ourselves? In this raw and riveting conversation, John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro sit down with Andy Russell — a former architect of data-driven persuasion — to expose how AI, behavioral profiling, and social media algorithms can hijack human desire, threaten our agency, and reshape our civilization. But there’s hope: what if the same power that manipulates us can be used to heal us? This episode lays bare the disturbing origins of persuasion tech, how it was used in politics and commerce, and what it will mean when AI takes the driver’s seat. Andy shares his personal reckoning, his brush with death, and how he’s dedicating the rest of his life to restoring dignity and meaning to the human experience — with spiritual urgency. Andy Russell is a serial entrepreneur and former insider in data and media technology. After helping build some of the very tools that now shape persuasion online, he experienced a profound moral and existential crisis. He now advocates for radical transparency, decentralized AI, and human-centered design as a pathway toward societal healing. Christopher Mastropietro is a philosophical writer who is fascinated by dialogue, symbols, and the concept of self. He actively contributes to the Vervaeke Foundation. Sundae Labs [https://www.sundaelabs.io/] aims to build tools and systems that foster a healthier relationship between humanity and technology.   Notes: (0:00) Introduction to the Series (1:00) Andy Russell’s Journey — From Data Pioneer to Whistleblower (4:00) The Origin of Data-Driven Persuasion Tech (6:30) Persuasion and Political Weaponization — The 2016 Turning Point (9:45) How Data and Emotion Drive Modern Media Campaigns (13:30) “Turning Humans into Puppets”: Behavioral Influence at Scale (15:30) Personal Collapse — Andy’s Reckoning with His Role (18:00) Between Frodo and Boromir: Can Anyone Wield the Ring? (23:30) Toward a Better Future — Rational Hope and Distributed AI (28:00) Scarcity, Hoarding, and the Death of Trust (33:00) Can Social Media Unite Rather Than Divide? (36:00) AI as a Tool for Healing and Transformation (40:30) Free Will and the Power of Influence (47:00) Hacking the Human Soul — Fear, Desire, and Belief (51:00) The Ethics of Deep Behavioral Nudging (58:00) From Suffering to Forgiveness: The Power of Redemption (1:05:00) Andy’s Story of Survival and Purpose (1:10:00) Building the Fellowship — Why This Fight Matters (1:15:00) Final Reflections and the Role of Virgil     Connect with a global community devoted to human flourishing. The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to the pursuit of wisdom and advancing our collective capacity for meaning. Join the mission: https://vervaekefoundation.org [https://vervaekefoundation.org] Explore transformative practice and reflection through Awaken to Meaning: https://awakentomeaning.com/ [https://awakentomeaning.com/] Support John Vervaeke’s ongoing work: https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke] Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned: * The AI Dilemma (Tristan Harris) * Cambridge Analytica * The Social Dilemma (Netflix) * Plato’s Republic * Dante’s Divine Comedy * Oppenheimer Syndrome * The Rwandan Genocide and Forgiveness * Ho’oponopono (Hawaiian Forgiveness Practice) * Sundae Labs * Free Will, Desires, and the Meaning Crisis * Personalized AI vs. Centralized Persuasion Tech

Welcome to a special installment of the Lectern Q&A! This month’s theme is Love as a Virtue and Existential Stance. This session dives into the nature of love—not just as a feeling, but as a participatory, person-making virtue that binds us to reality and each other. Joining John and Ethan is Ellie, who brings both a deeply reflective presence and insightful contributions to this exploration. Lectern Q&As are a monthly gathering where John and Ethan take questions from The Lectern’s members, threading through important themes that are most pertinent and perplexing to the collective. Pre-submitted questions form the bulk of the discussion with a Live Q&A segment toward the end. These conversations are particularly important for generating knowledge that is relevant both to John and The Lectern’s broader audience. To participate in these discussions live, submit questions ahead of time and gain access to previous Q&As by signing up at the Alpha Tier (and above) on The Lectern: https://lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge [https://lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge] If you would like to donate purely out of goodwill to support John’s work, please consider joining our Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke] The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. https://vervaekefoundation.org/ [https://vervaekefoundation.org/] If you would like to learn and engage regularly in practices that are informed, developed, and endorsed by John and his work, visit Awaken to Meaning’s calendar to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships. https://awakentomeaning.com/join-practice/ [https://awakentomeaning.com/join-practice/] Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Opening Reflections on Love 02:45 Love as an Existential Stance 05:00 Love, Participatory Knowing, and Binding Identity 08:45 Eros, Philia, and Agape: The Three Movements of Love 13:00 The Person-Making Nature of Love 17:00 Love as a Doorway to the Sacred 20:30 The Transformation of Self Through Love 23:45 Somatic and Embodied Knowing of Love 28:00 Trauma, Attachment, and the Challenge of Loving Well 32:10 Secure Attachment and Love as Practice 37:40 Circling, Dialectic, and Learning to Love Wisely 40:15 The Role of Worldview in Love and Meaning 46:50 A GI, the Sacred, and What We Truly Love About Humanity 54:20 The Ecology of Religions and Participatory Pluralism 59:30 Final Reflections from John, Ethan, and Ellie Biographical Sentences John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist, philosopher, and the creator of the YouTube series Awakening from the Meaning Crisis. His work focuses on wisdom cultivation, consciousness, and the scientific pursuit of meaning. Ethan is a co-host and facilitator of the Lectern Q&A sessions. He curates conversations that illuminate existential, psychological, and philosophical insights emerging from the community and John’s teachings. Ellie is a scholar and practitioner deeply engaged in environmental science, interpersonal growth, and attachment theory. She brings a reflective, embodied perspective to the conversation on love. Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode * Søren Kierkegaard * John Bowlby, Attachment Theory * Sue Johnson, Hold Me Tight, Attachment Theory in Practice * Eric Fromm, The Art of Loving * Thomas Kuhn, Paradigms and Worldview * Albert Camus, The Stranger * Martin Buber, I and Thou * Taoism and the concept of the Dao as Mother * Mahayana Buddhism, Bodhisattva path * Sufism and Divine Love * Socratic Knowledge and Dialogos * Circling & Dialectic into Dialogos * Lauren Barrett, Emotionally Focused Therapy * Halcyon Guild * Pluralism in religion and spiritual practice Connect with John Vervaeke * Website: https://johnvervaeke.com/ [https://johnvervaeke.com/] * Twitter: https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john [https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke [https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke] * Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke] Thank you for Listening!

If you find yourself torn between rationality and spirituality, science and mysticism, facts and belief; The Lectern's inaugural 8-week course will offer you a new lens through which to reflect on these dilemmas. Click here to enroll: https://lectern.teachable.com/p/einstein-and-spinoza-s-god1 [https://lectern.teachable.com/p/einstein-and-spinoza-s-god1] “What does it really mean to be authentic, and can this virtue be meaningfully understood and measured across psychology and philosophy?” John Vervaeke, Gregg Henriques and Matthew Schaublin embark on a discussion covering the concept of authenticity. The discussion explores authenticity as one of the premier virtues of modernity, comparing it with autonomy, and tracing its roots through romanticism and existentialism, notably discussing Heidgegger and Kierkegaard. Greg introduces psychological perspectives and client-centered therapy influenced by Carl Rogers, while Matthew shares insights from his empirical research on dispositional authenticity carried out at the University of Chattanooga. The trio also touch on the tensions between self-identification and participation, self-alienation, cognitive fluency, and the societal quest for authenticity, proposing a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the true self. Gregg R. Henriques is an American psychologist. He is a professor for the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, US. Matthew Schaublin is a master’s candidate in psychology at the University of Chattanooga, with a four-year research focus on authenticity. His work blends empirical psychology with philosophical and classical inquiry, investigating how dispositional authenticity is expressed and experienced. —- Notes:  0:00 Introduction to the Lectern 0:45 Exploring the Concept of Authenticity 3:30 Greg's Perspective on Authenticity 5:00 Matthew's Research on Dispositional Authenticity 9:00 Theoretical Foundations of Authenticity 12:30 Philosophical and Clinical Perspectives 24:30 Relational and Psychological Dimensions 36:30 The Evolution of Self-Definition in Modernity 38:00 The Greek Roots of Authenticity 39:30 Modeling Authenticity and Personality 43:15 Rationalization and Authenticity 44:45 Tensions in Authenticity: Identification vs. Participation 49:00 The SAFE Model of Authenticity 55:00 Empirical Studies on Authenticity and Agency 1:06:30 Key Takeaways and Future Directions —-- Connect with a community dedicated to self-discovery and purpose, and gain deeper insights by joining our Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]   The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. Become a part of our mission. https://vervaekefoundation.org/ [https://vervaekefoundation.org/]   Join Awaken to Meaning to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships. https://awakentomeaning.com/ [https://awakentomeaning.com/] John Vervaeke:  https://johnvervaeke.com/ [https://johnvervaeke.com/] https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john [https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john]  https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke [https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke/videos] https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]   Gregg Henriques: http://www.gregghenriques.com/ [http://www.gregghenriques.com/] https://x.com/henriqgx [https://x.com/henriqgx]   Matthew Shaublin: https://www.instagram.com/matthewschaublin/ [https://www.instagram.com/matthewschaublin/]   Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode Kierkegaard’s Concept of Authenticity Heidegger’s Use of ‘Authenticity’ Maslow’s Theory of Self-Actualization Dispositional Authenticity The SAFE Model of Authenticity Alienation and Cognitive Fluency The Ethics of Authenticity by Charles Taylor On the Concept of Irony and The Sickness Unto Death by Søren Kierkegaard Being and Time by Martin Heidegger On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers Martin Heidegger Charles Taylor Aristotle Jean-Paul Sartre   Quotes:  ”Like, meaning, like rational, authenticity is not just a descriptive term.” -John Vervaeke (2:00)  ”Inauthentic living… Tough, you know.” -Gregg Henriques (28:30)

As AI continues to advance and integrate into our daily lives, can it truly be designed to align with our deepest human values and moral principles? If so, how can we ensure that AI not only understands but also respects and promotes our ethical frameworks, without compromising our privacy or hindering our personal growth and autonomy?  John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, and Jordan Hall embark on a nuanced exploration of the intricate relationship between AI and human flourishing. They explore the concept of "intimate AI," a personalized guardian that attunes to individual biometrics and psychometrics, offering a protective and challenging presence. The discussion underscores the critical importance of privacy, the perils of idolatry, and the urgent need for a new philosophical framework that addresses the meaning crisis. Jordan Hall is a technology entrepreneur with several years of experience building disruptive companies. He is interested in philosophy, artificial intelligence, and complex systems and has a background in law. Hall has worked for several technology companies and was the founder and CEO of DivX. He is currently involved in various think tanks and institutes and is focused on upgrading humanity's capacity for thought and action. Christopher Mastropietro is a philosophical writer who is fascinated by dialogue, symbols, and the concept of self. He actively contributes to the Vervaeke Foundation. Notes:  * (0:00) Introduction to the Lectern * (0:30) Overview of Today’s Discussion: Can AI be in Alignment with Human Values? * (1:00) The Three-Point Proposal - Individual Attunement, Decentralized and Distributed AI, Guardian AI * (6:30) Individual AI Attunement  * (8:30) Distributed AI and Collective Intelligence * (8:45) Empowerment of Agency through AI * (12:30) The Role of Intimacy in AI Alignment - Why Relationality Matters * (22:00) Can AI Help Develop Human Integrity? - The Challenge of Self-Alignment * (28:00) Cultural and Enculturation Challenges * (31:30) AI, Culture, and the Reintegration of Human Rhythms * (38:00) Addressing Cocooning and Cultural Integration * (47:00) Domains of Enculturation - Psychological, Economic, and Intersubjective  * (48:30)  ”We're not looking necessarily for a teacher as much as we were looking for the teacherly opportunity in the encounters we're having.” * (51:00) The Sanctity of Privacy and Vulnerability * (1:07:00) The Role of Intimacy in Privacy * (1:13:00) Final Reflections    ---  Connect with a community dedicated to self-discovery and purpose, and gain deeper insights by joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]. The Vervaeke Foundation [https://vervaekefoundation.org/] is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. Become a part of our mission.   Join Awaken to Meaning [https://awakentomeaning.com/] to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships.   John Vervaeke: Website [https://johnvervaeke.com/] | X [https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke/videos] | Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]   Jordan Hall: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMzT-mdCqoyEv_-YZVtE7MQ] | Medium [https://medium.com/deep-code] | X [https://twitter.com/jgreenhall]   Christopher Mastropietro: Vervaeke Foundation [https://vervaekefoundation.org/]   Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode Christopher Mastropietro Jordan Hall Jordan Peterson James Filler Spinoza Marshall McLuhan Plato Immanuel Kant The AI Alignment Problem Decentralized & Personal AI as a Solution The Role of Intimacy in AI Alignment Enculturation & AI’s Role in Human Integrity Privacy as More Than Just Protection The Republic – by Plato Critique of Pure Reason – by Immanuel Kant The Idea of the Holy – by Rudolf Otto Interpretation of Cultures – by Clifford Geertz

What if the deepest truth of reality lies not in substances or isolated things, but in the pure relationality that connects everything? John Vervaeke is joined by renowned scholar Douglas Hedley to explore James Filler's groundbreaking work "Heidegger, Neoplatonism, and the History of Being." John and Douglas examine the profound implications of viewing ultimate reality as fundamentally relational rather than substantial, uncovering significant convergences between Heidegger's later thought and the ancient Neoplatonic tradition. The dialogue goes into how Neoplatonic metaphysics offers potent solutions to the philosophical dilemmas posed by modernity and postmodernity, and why the notion of strong transcendence is essential yet challenging in contemporary thought. Douglas enriches the discourse with reflections on imagination, symbolism, and theological significance within the Neoplatonic heritage. Douglas Hedley is Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at Cambridge University. He was educated at Keble College, Oxford and at the University of Munich, and has previously taught at Nottingham University. He is the Director of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism and co-chair of the Platonism and Neoplatonism section of the American Academy of Religion. Dr Hedley’s work centers on concepts of imagination, violence, and the sublime, and he has published widely, from early modern philosophy—particularly the Cambridge Platonists—to Coleridge. He is the Principal Investigator for the AHRC grant on The Cambridge Platonists at the Origins of Enlightenment: Texts, Debates, and Reception (1650-1730), and is co-editor of the Series Studies in Philosophical Theology. Connect with a community dedicated to self-discovery and purpose, and gain deeper insights by joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke].   Notes:  * (0:00) Introduction to the Lectern * (01:30) Douglas Headley's Background and Interests * (03:30) Overview of James Filler's Argument * (05:30) Critique of Substance Ontology * (9:00) Neoplatonism and the Trinity * (9:30) Lectern Dialogues: Philosophical Connections: Relational Ontology and the Modern Crisis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx6C3neSD78&t=180s] * (10:30) Heidegger's Misreading of Plato * (16:30) Heidegger's Theological Influences * (26:00) Modernity, Postmodernity, and Transcendence * (34:30) Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Neoplatonism * (36:15) Pushback on the Trinity Concept * (40:00) Greek and Russian Orthodox Traditions * (43:00) Western Theology and Neoplatonism * (49:30) Dialogical Model of the Self * (55:00) Christian Neoplatonism and Love * (59:30) Embodiment and Transcendence * (01:04:30) Final Thoughts and Parting Words   ---  Connect with a community dedicated to self-discovery and purpose, and gain deeper insights by joining our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]. The Vervaeke Foundation [https://vervaekefoundation.org/] is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. Become a part of our mission.   Join Awaken to Meaning [https://awakentomeaning.com/] to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships.   John Vervaeke: Website [https://johnvervaeke.com/] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke/videos] | Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke]     Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode Substance Ontology vs. Relational Ontology Heidegger’s Relationship to Neoplatonism James Filler's Philosophical Contribution The Trinity as Relational Symbolism Mysticism and Theology Embodiment and the Contemporary Crisis of Meaning James Filler Plotinus Iamblichus St. Augustine Marius Victorinus Jonathan Pageau "The Iconic Imagination" by Douglas Hedley "Participation in the Divine" "Process and Reality" by Alfred North Whitehead "Symposium" by Plato