Pragmatic Philosophy, Self Inquiry & The End of Suffering | Andrew James Taggart

Andrew James Taggart is a practical philosopher, meditation teacher, and philosophical counselor trained with the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. After completing his PhD he has spent over a decade helping individuals inquire into the most fundamental questions of life. His ideas have been featured in Quartz, The Guardian, Big Think, TEDx, and The Washington Post. He maintains a meditation practice of four hours each day, including a one-day retreat each week and a monthly 5-7 day intensive.In this conversation, we explore the motivation behind Andrew's committed meditation practice, how different spiritual traditions and teachings compare and contrast, and the Advaita Vedanta triple method as a path to self inquiry and awakening.We get into what philosophy actually is and why it matters, how to choose which philosophers to read, the philosophers who most shaped Andrew's thinking, and what it means to philosophize together — and how that differs from conventional self inquiry.We also explore the relationship between philosophy and meditation, the fundamental question of existence, a debate about Ken Wilber, idealism through the lens of Bernardo Kastrup, and what the end of suffering actually looks like as a lived reality rather than a concept.A rigorous and deeply honest conversation for anyone walking the spiritual path with both intellectual seriousness and an earnest desire for awakening.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗Andrew's personal site Philosophizing Together with Andrew Meditation with Andrew🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Introduction 1:19 - The motivation behind Andrew's intensive meditation practice 5:02 - Comparing and contrasting different spiritual traditions and teachings 11:30 - The Advaita Vedanta triple method 16:11 - Walking the spiritual path with your life partner 19:40 - What is philosophy and why is it important? 23:02 - How to choose which philosophers to read 29:57 - The philosophers who had the greatest impact on Andrew 38:17 - Philosophizing together about philosophizing together 48:48 - How philosophical inquiry differs from self inquiry 55:09 - The relationship between philosophy and meditation 1:05:42 - The fundamental question of existence 1:15:21 - Debating Ken Wilber 1:21:45 - Idealism and Bernardo Kastrup 1:32:19 - The end of suffering*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional