Iain McGilchrist and John Vervaeke: God and the Meaning Crisis

I personally subscribe to The Economist. SUMMER SALE to Aug 17, 2026: 50% off the annual subscription! No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE Iain McGilchrist and John Vervaeke explore the meaning crisis, the limits of technology‑driven rationality, and the deep questions of God, consciousness and being, contrasting non‑theistic and religious perspectives while debating how community and practice shape our understanding.0:00 Introduction5:44 Iain on the "meaning crisis"9:29 John on the "meaning crisis"15:10 Technology amplifies our lack of wisdom18:26 Rationality and Belief (Iain vs. John)28:35 Imaginary vs. Imaginal37:03 Non-theism vs. Religion (against meditation as spiritual redress)53:38 Not doing vs. Un-doing vs. Being passive vs. Un-Knowing1:09 22 The way God sees us vs. The way we see God1:22 06 Sam Harris, Closing yourself off to the Divine, and Terror1:29 20 The importance of Sangha (community), and how can John's neoplatonism work?1:40 43 Faith, Whitehead, and Reciprocal Opening1:47 56 Against "being present"1:54 58 Marrying a religion2:04 24 Should we certainly give up on certainty?2:06 06 On not speaking and the un‑making of TOE2:08 14 John and Iain summateSPONSORS:- Brilliant: 20% off at https://brilliant.org/TOE- NordVPN: exclusive deal at https://nordvpn.com/theories (risk‑free 30‑day guarantee)- Manscaped: 20% off and free shipping with code [EVERYTHING20] at manscaped.com (use code [EVERYTHING20])- Wren: sign up at https://wren.co/theories to plant 10 extra trees- Trade Coffee: $30 off first order plus free shipping at https://drinktrade.com/everything- ButcherBox: two steaks and lobster claw free at https://butcherbox.com/THEORIESRESOURCES:- YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzT4tcC-aag- http://theoriesofeverything.org- New TOE Website (early access to episodes): https://theoriesofeverything.org/- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything- Matthew's Adopt Responsibility podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzwP_qFSXmDs-79VMFmcQQw- Garrett's This Could Be Interesting podcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThisCouldBeInteresting- Physics Contest: https://youtu.be/V93GQaDtv8w- John Vervaeke: https://youtu.be/3p8o3-7mvQc- John and Bernardo: https://youtu.be/UWcTmeAs44I- John and Joscha Bach: https://youtu.be/rK7ux_JhHM4- Iain McGilchrist on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-SgOwc6Pe4- Iain's book (Master and His Emissary): https://amzn.to/3r7L064- Iain's book (The Matter With Things): https://amzn.to/3LELdak Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. FOLLOW: Substack | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices