The Initiation

What if the crises threatening our civilisation are not just political, economic or ecological but symptoms of something much deeper: a loss of meaning? John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist, philosopher and one of the leading thinkers exploring the meaning crisis of modern civilisation. Through his influential lecture series Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, he examines how the erosion of shared meaning, wisdom and spiritual traditions has left modern societies increasingly disconnected from themselves, each other and the world. In this conversation, we explore how the collapse of meaning and trust may be amplifying the wider metacrisis - from political polarisation and ecological breakdown to the growing disruption of artificial intelligence. But John also sees something else emerging. What he calls “the advent of the sacred” -  the possibility that, as our old ways of understanding reality begin to unravel, new forms of wisdom, connection and collective transformation are struggling to be born. In this conversation, we explore: Why the meaning crisis may be one of the deepest challenges facing modern civilisation How the collapse of shared meaning is fuelling a wider crisis of trust in institutions and each other Why meaning is a fundamental human need — and how its absence can make us more rigid, fearful and self-centred How the loss of religious traditions has left a gap in our ability to cultivate wisdom, belonging and transcendence Why solving the metacrisis requires more than technological innovation or better political systems What John means by the “advent of the sacred” and why new forms of spirituality and community may be emerging Why humanity may be facing a “civilisational koan” — a challenge that cannot be solved through ideas alone, but requires a transformation of who we are How ancient wisdom traditions, modern cognitive science and new ways of relating to reality might come together Why the future cannot simply be a return to the past — or an engineered utopia What the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly might reveal about humanity's own evolutionary threshold Whether the breakdown of our existing systems could create the conditions for an entirely new kind of civilisation And why the future of humanity may depend on our ability to rediscover the sacred in everyday life John suggests that we may be living through a rare moment in history - one in which the frameworks that shaped modern civilisation are beginning to lose their hold, while something genuinely new is emerging in their place. Yet this transformation is far from guaranteed. The same forces that could open the door to a new era of human flourishing could also lead towards deeper fragmentation and collapse. Ultimately, this is a conversation about what happens when the stories that once gave our lives meaning begin to fall apart - and whether the crises of our time might be inviting us into a fundamentally different way of being human. Could the breakdown of the old world be the beginning of a new relationship with reality itself? If you enjoy The Initiation, please subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube, and share the episode with someone who might resonate with this conversation. And for new listeners, Season 1 of The Initiation lays the foundation for this inquiry - exploring the breakdowns, breakthroughs and inner transformation shaping humanity's collective threshold.

What if one of the most powerful forces shaping human behaviour is something we rarely talk about - our fear of death? Sheldon Solomon is a social psychologist and one of the world’s leading researchers on terror management theory - the idea, inspired by Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death, that our awareness of mortality quietly shapes much of human behaviour. For more than four decades, Sheldon and his colleagues have studied what happens when people are reminded of their mortality. Their research suggests that death anxiety can make us cling more tightly to our beliefs, become more hostile towards those who are different, seek money and status, support authoritarian leaders and even become more willing to exploit the natural world. But there is another possibility. What happens when, instead of denying death, we actually turn towards it? In this conversation, we explore: Why humans are uniquely aware of their own mortality How terror management theory helps explain seemingly irrational human behaviour Why fear of death can intensify tribalism, polarisation and hostility How existential anxiety can increase our attraction to authoritarian leaders Why money and status can become unconscious attempts to escape mortality The surprising relationship between death anxiety and environmental destruction Why modern Western culture may be particularly death-denying What near-death experiences reveal about our relationship with mortality How meditation, mindfulness and psychedelics may change the way we respond to death Why awe, humility, gratitude and nature could help us become more psychologically resilient Whether today’s converging crises are forcing humanity through a collective initiation And what Sheldon calls the need for a new kind of existential maturity Sheldon argues that we may be living in a culture saturated with death anxiety — much of it operating beneath conscious awareness. Yet confronting our mortality may offer something unexpected: a deeper appreciation for being alive. As Sheldon reflects personally, after decades of studying death intellectually, it was only later in life that he began to experience the importance of practising awe, humility and gratitude — finding meaning in something as simple as walking outside, encountering another person or planting a tree that may outlive him. Ultimately, this is a conversation about death - but perhaps even more importantly, it is about how to live. Could the crises gathering around us be part of humanity’s initiation into a more mature relationship with mortality, with each other and with life itself? If you enjoy The Initiation, please subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube, and share the episode with someone who might resonate with this conversation.

What if the collapse we fear isn’t the end of humanity — but the end of a system that no longer serves us? Sarah Wilson is a bestselling author, journalist and activist. Her latest book, I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World, explores how facing the reality of the metacrisis can paradoxically bring greater clarity, courage and even joy. In this conversation, we explore:  Why the crises around us may be different expressions of one larger metacrisis  Sarah has moved beyond conventional ideas of hope What it means to hospice the old world rather than desperately trying to preserve it Humanity’s passage from adolescence toward collective adulthood How to become an “island of sanity” in increasingly unstable times Why uncertainty, nature, community and spirituality may become essential capacities for what comes next And why humans have repeatedly turned to dance and joy in times of crisis Ultimately, this is a conversation about what it means to meet a moment of profound change without looking away — and to live fully and beautifully anyway. If you enjoy The Initiation, please subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube, and share the episode with someone who might resonate with this conversation.

In this episode of The Initiation, I speak with Luke Kemp, researcher at Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and author of Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse. Luke challenges the conventional story of civilization as a steady march of progress. Instead, he traces the rise of what he calls “Goliaths”: societies built upon concentrated power, extractive resources, monopolized violence, and the restriction of people’s freedom to leave. While the collapse of these systems often benefited ordinary people in the past, Luke argues that collapse today would be profoundly different. Nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, ecological breakdown, and our dependence on global supply chains have raised the height of the fall—potentially to a terminal level. We discuss: Why the earliest states resembled organized protection rackets The three ingredients that allow Goliaths to emerge Why fear makes societies vulnerable to authoritarian leaders How inequality and concentrated power make civilizations fragile Why collapse had a surprisingly bright past—but may have a dark future The growing risks posed by nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence Why game theory misunderstands ordinary human behaviour Humanity’s deeper evolutionary capacity for cooperation How corporations and states amplify the darker sides of human nature Citizens’ assemblies, wealth redistribution, and the possibility of open democracy What meaningful action looks like in the face of systemic risk This is a sobering but ultimately empowering conversation about the history of power, the risks gathering around us, and how we might build institutions that bring out the best—rather than the worst—of humanity. And for new listeners, Season 1 of The Initiation lays the foundation for this inquiry - exploring the breakdowns, breakthroughs, and inner transformation shaping humanity’s collective threshold.

In this episode of The Initiation, I speak with Corey Bradshaw, ecologist, modeler, and global change scientist, about the uncomfortable realities of the ecological crisis — and what it means to face them honestly. Corey’s path began far from academia: growing up in the Canadian wilderness with a trapper father, learning the intelligence of animals, the harshness of wild places, and the power humans have to alter the living world. Today, he uses mathematical models to understand ecosystems, extinction, population dynamics, climate trajectories, and the future of human civilization. Together we explore why the sixth mass extinction is not just a distant scientific abstraction, how overpopulation and overconsumption are inseparably linked, why efficiency often leads to more exploitation rather than less, and why denial is such a deeply human response to ecological breakdown. This is not an easy conversation — but it is a deeply clarifying one. Corey offers a form of grounded realism: not the fantasy that everything will be fine, and not the despair that nothing matters, but the possibility of making the future “less shitty” through honest seeing, better choices, and a renewed sense of responsibility for the living systems that sustain us. A conversation about extinction, denial, resilience, collapse, and what it means to stay useful in a world that is already changing. And for new listeners, Season 1 of The Initiation lays the foundation for this inquiry - exploring the breakdowns, breakthroughs, and inner transformation shaping humanity’s collective threshold.