Ep. 2 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Flow, Metaphor, and the Axial Revolution

In this episode of "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis," John Vervaeke continues his historical examination of meaning-making, focusing on the connections between altered states of consciousness, enhanced cognition, and wisdom. He discusses shamanism as a set of psychotechnologies that cognitively exapt abilities through altered states, inducing flow states via disruptive strategies. Vervaeke explains the flow state, its characteristics, and its universality, linking it to enhanced cognition through insight cascades and implicit learning. He also touches on the importance of metaphor in connecting ideas and enhancing cognitive abilities, suggesting that shamanism, by inducing flow states, fosters metaphor generation and ultimately enhances meaning-making. The discussion then transitions to the Neolithic Revolution and the Axial Age, highlighting the invention of alphabetic literacy and coinage as psychotechnologies that fostered second-order thinking and self-awareness, setting the stage for a changed sense of self and responsibility.