John Vervaeke is a prominent figure in the field of Cognitive Science, renowned for his extensive work as an educator, researcher, and public intellectual. As the director of the Cognitive Science program at the University of Toronto, John Vervaeke is deeply involved in shaping the future of the field. He instructs students in introductory Cognitive Science and the Cognitive Science of consciousness, with a particular emphasis on 4E models of cognition – embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended.
For fifteen years, John Vervaeke also contributed to the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program, teaching the intersection of Buddhism and Cognitive Science. His commitment to research is evident in his role as the director of the Consciousness and the Wisdom Studies Laboratory. John Vervaeke’s dedication to teaching has been recognized through multiple nominations and awards, including the 2001 Students’ Administrative Council and Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students Teaching Award for the Humanities, and the 2012 Ranjini Ghosh Excellence in Teaching Award.
John Vervaeke’s scholarly contributions are significant, with publications exploring relevance realization, general intelligence, mindfulness, flow states, metaphor, and wisdom. He is the lead author of “Zombies in Western Culture: A 21st Century crisis,” a book that utilizes Psychology and Cognitive Science to analyze the contemporary meaning crisis in Western society. Furthermore, John Vervaeke is widely recognized as the creator and presenter of the YouTube series, “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis,” which has garnered a substantial global audience.
Education
- PhD, University of Toronto
- BSc, University of Toronto
- MA, University of Toronto
- HBA, McMaster University
Research Interests
John Vervaeke’s research interests are broad and impactful, focusing on fundamental aspects of human cognition:
- Thinking and reasoning processes
- Insight problem solving mechanisms
- Cognitive development, particularly its dynamic nature
- Higher cognitive functions, including intelligence, rationality, mindfulness, and the psychology of wisdom
Selected Publications
- Juensung Kim, Stephanie Morris, Philip Rajewicz, Michel Ferrari & John Vervaeke. ‘Walking wisdom’s path: contributions of faith, age, personal wisdom to ideas of cultivation wisdom’ Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging.
- John Vervaeke. ‘How a philosophy of meditation can explore the deep connections between mindfulness and contemplative wisdom’. In Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Meditation. Rick Repetti (ed.).
- John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro. ‘Dialectic into Dialogos and the Pragmatics of Nothingness in a Time of Crisis’. Eidos; a journal for the philosophy of culture.
- Dan Chiappe and John Vervaeke. ‘Distributed cognition and the experience of presence in the Mars Exploration Rover mission’. Frontiers in Psychology.
John Vervaeke continues to be a leading voice in Cognitive Science, bridging academic rigor with public accessibility, and offering profound insights into the human mind and the search for meaning.
