Bridging Mindfulness and Philosophy | Philosophy of Meditation #5 with Evan Thompson

In the fifth episode of the Philosophy of Meditation series, hosts John Vervaeke and Rick Repetti engage with Evan Thompson, a renowned cognitive scientist and philosopher, to explore the symbiosis of meditation, cognitive science, and philosophy. The episode highlights how Evan's early meditation practice shaped his philosophical outlook, emphasizing the experiential depth revealed by meditative states about consciousness. Discussions cover the transformative social aspects of meditation and philosophical views on death, underscoring Evan's perspective that meditation enriches, but should not solely define, philosophy. This insightful conversation traverses the transformative potential of meditation beyond calming the mind, delving into its role in personal development and intellectual growth. By merging philosophical rigor with meditation's lived experience, this conversation offers a nuanced understanding of meditation's role in enhancing human cognition and self-awareness, presenting a compelling case for its profound impact on philosophical thought.
Evan Thompson is a renowned philosopher and cognitive scientist, recognized for his significant contributions to the field of 4E cognitive science, which emphasizes embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended aspects of cognition. His work intricately bridges Western philosophy with Eastern contemplative practices, particularly Buddhism, exploring the intersections of consciousness, meditation, and the human experience. Thompson's influential writings include discussions on the philosophy of mind, meditation, and the nature of self, making him a respected figure in both academic and contemplative circles.
Glossary of Terms
4E Cognitive Science: A framework in cognitive science emphasizing four key factors: embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended cognition.
Contemplative Perspectives: Approaches to understanding and experiencing reality that involve introspection and focused attention, often used in the context of meditation and mindfulness.
John Vervaeke:
Website: johnvervaeke.com/
KZbin: / @johnvervaeke
Patreon: / johnvervaeke
X: / vervaeke_john
Facebook: / vervaekejohn
Rick Repetti:
Website: www.rickrepetti.com/
Instagram: / rickrepetti
X: / rickrepetti
Facebook: / philosophicalpractitioner
Evan Thompson:
Website: evanthompson.me/
X: / evantthompson
Facebook: / evan.timothy.thompson
Join our new Patreon
/ johnvervaeke
The Vervaeke Foundation - vervaekefoundation.org/
Awaken to Meaning - awakentomeaning.com/
John Vervaeke KZbin
Awakening from the Meaning Crisis • Awakening from the Mea...
Books, Articles, and Publications
Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Meditation - Rick Repetti
www.amazon.com/Routledge-Hand...
Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind - Evan Thompson www.amazon.com/Mind-Life-Biol...
Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy - Evan Thompson www.amazon.com/Waking-Dreamin...
Why I Am Not a Buddhist - Evan Thompson www.amazon.com/Why-I-Am-Not-B...
Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science, and the Power of Spontaneity - Edward Slingerland www.amazon.com/Trying-Not-Try...
The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience - Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, Evan Thompson www.amazon.com/Blind-Spot-Sci...
Quotes
"I think of myself as first and foremost a philosopher of mind who works very much on cognitive science and in collaboration with cognitive scientists." - Evan Thompson [00:04:31]
Chapters
[00:00:00] - Series Introduction and Evan Thompson's Cognitive Science Expertise
[00:02:13] - Integrating Western Philosophy with Buddhist Concepts in Cognitive Science
[00:04:09] - Philosophical and Meditative Perspectives on Dying and Death
[00:07:44] - Cognitive Flexibility and Death Reflection in Meditation Practice
[00:16:15] - Mindfulness Practices Across Various Traditions and Philosophical Inquiry
[00:36:01] - Transformational Aspects of Meditation, Rituals, and Self-Cultivation
[00:50:29] - The Role of Mindfulness in Modern Culture and Science
[00:57:56] - Meditation as a Conduit Between Diverse Philosophical and Cultural Contexts
[01:00:43] - Enhancing Consciousness and Attention Through Mindfulness Practices
[01:14:00] - Concluding Dialogue

[@ideacastilluminate]

Great to see Evan on your show after many years of reference to him. I am looking forward to this, thanks to those who made this happen.

[@TimCCambridge]

👍👍. Hi, this was great! Thanks. The Holy Book is like a Ferry, when we don't want to get off on the other side we cling instead to the eternal duties of the passage. Something like that.

[@themoralcube]

Grateful you're producing so much content.

[@martinspiering5817]

Great conversation--it was (fairly) easy to follow even for someone not in the (academic/professional) field of philosophy. I hope you can follow this up with another discussion of Thompson et al.'s forthcoming book The Blind Spot, which was mentioned only briefly at the end. Going by the "preview" published in Aeon some time ago, this book is going to be incredibly important for the discussion of the place of science (and philosophy) in a less divisive society and the value of other forms of knowledge and insight for grounding, understanding, and flourishing of sentient experience.

[@RemotelySkilled]

Sir, I identify, because you are of a similar diversity as me. Your colleague, Dr. Peterson, grabs a very down-to-earth approach and he is invaluable as such. But you manage to think out of the box way more and still stand undaunted. It is us, who can drive humanity to conquer obscure and novel approaches. So I hold up my hand for a high-5 and really hope you see the value in intellectual diverse thinking, just as me. Thank you for contributing to this almost rotten biome we call KZbin!

[@spiritualpod]

Thank you for doing this series. This episode’s introduction really caused me to commit the time to watch the whole episode. Thanks for your work John, et al. God bless you

[@geoffreydawson5430]

Dated now but Shelly Kagan's Yale lectures on death were an early influence on my thinking.

[@jasonmitchell5219]

Thank you that was great and about time too (kidding). I would love to hear a discussion between Evan and John full-stop! For example, I don't think Evan is a fan of the 'predictive processing' theories out there as they apply to the embodied, enacted, etc. mind and I would love to hear, if right, him and John in dialogue over the issue.

[@TheMeditatingPhilosopher]

The joy of friendship seen in this conversation shows so uniquely how we make each other's lives meaningful and transform ourselves and each other, through relationships, to be more than we start as. Even's work is always great and I'm so glad for this finally happen. I'd fly to the frozen tundra of Canada to see the three of you do any amount of tai chi or other moving practices and explore the novel domain of the internet to engage bodies and souls. 🥰

[@mattgumbley1317]

I find great value in your series, like this one, that primarily focuses on academics and their work, just like the cognitive science show with Gregg Henriques. These shows offer a depth and rigor that I can't find elsewhere. Thank you for the effort put into producing them.

[@mikegarrigan5182]

Thank you, gentleman. Some of the things that were informative from your discussion was, context, context, context. Individual perspective, group perspective, institutional perspective, historical perspective, and geographic perspective. I’m gaining more lenses than an optometrist.😀 Looking forward to the next one.

[@colorfulbookmark]

I agree with the script of this video and guests's talk, 4E cognitive science are important for understanding midnfulness. I have replied how 4E cognitive science are understood opposite in certain tricky way, omission to it to this reply. I think mindfulness is great contribution for community too.

[@BrendanTietz]

Couldn’t agree more that personality and temperament are paramount in establishing the right meditation practice. Zen doesn’t work for me because my mind is so easily distracted. A structured approach always leads me to getting deep until the point I can let go of the structure. This was an amazing convo John!

[@colorfulbookmark]

People who believe same ways are great people. Only comments at the Internet too sometimes give support feelings ^^ I wish people's life become better than now.

[@alexandrazachary.musician]

Yippeeeeee and woooooohooooo!!!!

[@JiminiCrikkit]

Very good conversation. Isolating meditative techniques out of context, attempting to grasp at cultural causal conditions and concretising them philosophically has always been problematic and I very much welcome the ever growing content available to people online about this issue. But we persist, and as we do it, almost as if we are attempting to feed culture in the process, culture can digest these 'bites' of scholarly wisdom (a very over simplified description and maybe not important), but we tread a fine line always on this matter. We cannot manufacture Kairos and we cannot force the ripeness to occur, can we? Or should we even?

[@legostory33]

I remember when you Vervaeke used to discuss with Jordan Peterson and Pageau about very deep and meaningful things. You guys would discuss scripture and the beauty and complexity of it, the unknowingness of it. I would follow along, by my desire for truth, and eventually I came to Orthodoxy where I found my home. I was curious recently to see how things played out intellectually for you and peterson and im deeply sorrowed by it yet im not surprised. Vervaeke, in your works you consciously and honestly discredit the Christian narrative and ask why cant we use base principles instead? Dont the principles contain the logos as well, the spirit of truth? Yes they do, but what you've done is you've rejected the logos itself. You've rejected God himself and have instead found demons. I recently watched your talk with peterson and how you now "Speak with Hermes" and have visions of thoth. Truly I tell you, you will meet your destruction by coming into contact with these beings. You do not have control of them, they have control of you. You cannot put them into categories, they are higher than yourself. They will deceive you as best they can because they desire one thing, that thing is your soul. Only through the love of incarnate God, that is, Jesus Christ can the logos be obtained, the mortification of the passions, and freedom from enslavement. "The only way to the father is through me"

[@zak2659]

Any chance you could schedule another talk with Bernardo Kastrup again? Its been a while since you two talked

[@projectmalus]

Transformational aspects required as the one connected to garden feedback diminished, so a crop of students, a field of acoustic notes for musicians, cultivating wisdom, contemplation while degrees of allowance coupled with understanding that feeds on margins as the one, in proportion human/world with respect to energy, information and access shared. Thanks!

[@jonyspinoza3310]

🌞

[@pantherstealth1645]

👏🥳

[@dianagoddard6456]

Umm I had an experience fulfilling the criteria of William James …yes facilitated by a Christian contemplation thru Julian of Norwich but the non dual experience in some senses reflected in no way the metaphysics of Christianity

[@zachvinka6764]

Dun dun dun!!

[@knoweagle888]

The Buddha never taught another Buddha, he created Buddhist. Jesus never made any Christs, only Christians. “Thank God I’m Jung and not a Jungian” ~ CG Jung

[@knoweagle888]

Modern “meditation” is conceptualized through reverse engineering imo. Imitation of the effect but not the cause.

[@backwardthoughts1022]

oh god you know there are westerners trained in advanced physics and philosophy of science and of mind, who are also now spending 12h+ per day in authentic advanced meditation....right? no? oh, that explains a few things.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

I am not really concerned about what any particular person BELIEVES. You may believe that there is an old man with a white beard perched in the clouds, that the Ultimate Reality is a young blackish-blue Indian guy, that the universe is eternal, that Mother Mary was a certifiable virgin, or that gross physical matter is the foundation of existence. The ONLY thing that really matters is your meta-ethics, not your meta-physics. Do you consider any form of non-monarchical government (such as democracy or socialism) to be beneficial? Do you unnecessarily destroy the lives of poor, innocent animals and gorge on their bloody carcasses? Do you believe homosexuality and transvestism are moral? Do you consider feminist ideology to be righteous? If so, then you are objectively immoral, and your so-called "enlightened/awakened" state is immaterial, since it does not benefit society in any way.