What if meaning is not something you manufacture inside your head, but something that emerges between you and reality?More about relational ecology program here: https://awakentomeaning.com/relational-ecology-program/ And Johns team were also kind to create discount code for our audience: REPBWA26 that gives them USD50 off the course!Where you can find out more: https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/In this conversation with John Vervaeke, Ethan Hsieh and Taylor Barrat, we move from the psychology of meaning into something much deeper: orientation, transjectivity, calling, the sacred, beauty, transformation and the practices that make new ways of being possible.

John introduces the idea of meaning for life, an aspirational model in which meaning is inseparable from development and transformation. We explore why propositions are not enough, why practice must transform theory, why the sacred cannot simply be manufactured, and why some truths become accessible only when our way of participating changes.The conversation eventually reaches the strange edge of the AI age. What happens when language, cognition and even human expression become increasingly smooth? Can we preserve the friction, mystery, mistakes and uncontrollability that make genuine contact possible? From the “extraordinary ordinary” to pilgrimage, resonance, beauty and people as “messy mysteries,” this episode is ultimately about recovering our capacity to meet reality again.Podpoř svůj mozek našimi doplňky:https://www.uplife.cz/brain-we-are/

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:45 How to connect and tune into the conversation better?

07:54 The meaning of "mattering" and the meaning crisis

14:14 The role of propositions and orientation in finding meaning

20:26 Essay on symbols, reality, and the Tower of Babel

27:09 Escaping reality for abstraction and building symbols

35:57 What does the term "transjective" mean?

40:08 Expanding the possibilities of our perception and intelligence

45:39 Simone Weil and creating space for emergence

47:59 The importance of play and finding connections

58:07 Cultural pressure for self-development and perfection

01:09:26 The cognitive miser hypothesis and the complexity of the mind

01:14:26 Integrating insights from psychedelic experiences

01:20:03 The difference between the imaginary and the imaginal

01:22:14 How to think the unthinkable?

01:26:43 Tuning into one's body and intuition

01:37:12 How to start trusting your intuition and experiences?

01:43:59 Returning to everyday life and maintaining practice

01:47:38 The concept of unthought thoughts and moving through spacetime

01:52:58 Mindfulness practice and anchoring in reality

01:59:51 The aesthetics of smoothness and the loss of deep experience

02:04:18 Artificial intelligence and the fading of human imperfection

02:12:34 Conclusion

"I want to defeat death, before death defeats me." - Jose Cordeiro Explore this amazing topic with Jose Cordeiro, find out how far are we into the research and progress in reversing aging. What is longevity escape velocity, how would immortality be sustained on earth and much more!

01:10 Who is Jose Cardeiro

01:39 The Death of Death by Jose Cordeiro & David Wood

02:40 How Jose transferred from engineering to longevity

07:11 Yamanaka factors

09:18 Epigenetics - what is it & Why do we age

13:15 Cells that don't age - cancer

19:48 How long can some creatures live - extremes

22:18 Healthspan VS Lifespan

25:50 What is the purpose of life

26:36 Bacterias on Mars

28:25 Sperm cells vs Cancer cells & What do they have in common?

29:33 How science has evolved over the last 100 years

31:15 The dark side of longevity and immortality

37:20 The most complex thing in the universe

39:07 Optimism

41:27 Pessimism & Negative bias

44:46 What we need to solve first

47:34 What makes us humans & Technology

49:12 The paradox of opposition to extend lifespan

51:33 How different are we every day

54:41 How do you keep yourself full of energy?

56:08 Will humanity be divided into...

56:55 "The anti-aging vaccine will be free"

01:03:23 If there will not be immortality

01:07:38 Organ transplantation throughout the history

01:12:57 Are there things that you are afraid of?

01:14:04 Have you found the meaning of life?

01:18:49 What do you want to say in the end?

01:19:53 Who are your favorite thinkers?

01:22:53 Ending

In this episode of Brain We Are, we explore the amazing world of fungi with Merlin Sheldrake, biologist and author of Entangled Life. Fungi are more than just mushrooms – they form vast networks that communicate, process information, and have surprising effects on the world around us.

We discuss whether fungi could be conscious, how they communicate, and their potential role in shaping weather and even influencing our minds. Merlin also shares his personal experiences with psychedelics and how mushrooms can grow in the most unexpected places.

Tune in for a fascinating look at how fungi connect life on Earth in ways you might never expect!

This podcast was recorded during the MELTINGPOT forum in Ostrava in 2024

Timestamps:

01:06 Who is Merlin Sheldrake

02:01 How fungi differ from humans

04:42 Organisms are complex amplifiers of experience

05:16 Do any organisms have consciousness?

08:09 Are fungi conscious?

12:18 How fungi communicate

17:16 Electricity in fungi – can it store information?

20:50 Intelligence in organisms

23:31 How can we be inspired by mushrooms?

27:35 Do fungi spores affect our weather?

29:35 Mushrooms can grow anywhere – The story of a factory

32:39 Do mushrooms affect our minds on purpose?

35:53 The story of LSD & problem-solving abilities

44:19 Merlin’s experience with psychedelics

48:09 A few interesting things about fungi

51:20 How humans influence each other

53:36 How can we improve our health with mushrooms?

56:19 What is your favorite mushroom?

57:01 Ending