#65 Play & Meaningful Uncertainty: Active Inference and the Intellectual Sweet Spot with Julian Kiverstein of Amsterdam UMC

Send a love message Julian Kiverstein is a senior professor at Amsterdam Medical. He's co-authored various papers about the importance of play as it relates to predictive processing, active learning, intimacy and embodied cognition.Andrea Hiott is a philosopher at Universität Heidelberg.Sometimes we get stuck in attractor states. Play is a form of disruption that may be able to help us get unstuck. Play seems to be far from algorithmic.This conversation explores how playfulness is crucial for meaning and flourishing, and how building safe spaces for play (such as museums and parks) are crucial for healthy societies.Active inference and predictive processing are discussed as tools that might help us better model and understand this ‘sweet spot’ towards finding ways to create spaces where we can explore uncertainty and risk without danger.Drawing from his extensive work in phenomenology, embodied cognition, and predictive processing, Julian offers fresh perspectives on how play connects to mental health and wellbeing. Some key ideas from this episode:• Play requires safety yet involves taking risks—a paradoxical relationship that enables personal growth• Adults often lose the curious openness of childhood as we become fixated on seriousness and habitual patterns• Love shares qualities with play as both involve transcendence beyond the self and openness to fresh experiences• Active inference and predictive processing provide frameworks for understanding both mental illness and flourishing• Breaking out of "attractor states" or fixed patterns requires disruption that playful activities can provide• Creating safe spaces for play becomes essential for development, creativity, and meaning-makingGive00:00 The Role of Play in Well-being01:50 Introduction to Love and Philosophy02:45 Exploring Active Inference and Predictive Processing05:24 The Importance of Play in Development09:58 Julian's Journey into Mind Studies12:11 Understanding Mental Illness through Predictive Processing21:57 The Concept of Play and Its Cognitive Benefits30:27 Intrinsic Motivation and the Value of Play44:12 Play as a Disruptive Force in Mental Health45:09 Understanding Mental Illness and Uncertainty46:13 The Role of Play in Mental Health47:38 Creating Safe Spaces for Emotional Regulation49:05 Exploration vs. Exploitation in Learning52:03 The Importance of Play in Adulthood53:35 Art, Literature, and Emotional Engagement56:55 The Need for Play in Academia01:20:50 Balancing Exploration and Familiarity01:23:37 Final Thoughts on Play and Well-beingPlay in Predictive MindsIntimate Places: Playgrounds for self-explorationPlayfulness and the meaningful life with Mark MillerMore of Julian's papersStuart Brown and the Institute of PlayJK and Darius Active Inference InstituteHarry Heft ConversationKarl Friston ConversationBlog post about Active Inference4E CognitionLinkedInSupport the showBuy Holding Paradox: The Navigational Approach to Mind and Consciousness by Andrea HiottSign up for Making Ways newsletter and projects.Please rate and review with love. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Substack.