Insights from the Great Books

Johnathan Bi

Society EN ↓ 74 episodes

Lectures & Interviews on the Great Books www.johnathanbi.com

Author

Insights from the Great Books

Episodes

How This Wittgenstein Scholar Built a $16 Billion Startup | Marcus Ryu, Oxford 27.09.2025 2:19:39

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://cosmosinst.typeform.com/johnathanbi Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-of-interview-with-marcus-ryu-of-guidewire We are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get involved check out: johnathanbi.com/cosmos Get full access to Johnathan Bi at...

He Studied the Great Books and Built a $2 Billion Startup | Francis Pedraza 23.09.2025 2:03:37

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://cosmosinst.typeform.com/johnathanbi Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-francis-pedraza-on-heroism We are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get involved check out: johnathanbi.com/cosmos Get full access to Johnathan Bi...

How Following His Curiosity Made Him a Fortune | Colin Moran, Oxford Historian 15.09.2025 1:41:28

An interview on faith, investing, and the humanities with Colin Moran of Abdiel Capital. Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://cosmosinst.typeform.com/johnathanbi Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-colin-moran We are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get...

The One Thing You Must Never Outsource to AI | Brendan McCord 12.09.2025 2:08:02

Companion lectures and interviews: * AI & The End of Education: * Human vs. Machine Consciousness | Imperial’s Murray Shanahan: * The AI Use-Case No One is Talking About | Reid Hoffman: * Tyler Cowen on AI, US-China, Jobs, and War: * Focus on These AGI-Proof Areas | Nick Bostrom: * Don’t Believe AI Hype, This is Where it’s Actually Headed | Oxford’s Michael Wooldridge | AI History: * AI’s New Worl...

Embrace the Erotic | Plato's Symposium Explained 31.08.2025 1:36:34

A Lecture on Plato’s Symposium. Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://www.johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-of-lecture-on-platos-symposium Companion lectures and interviews: * What Young Men Do Wrong in Dating | David O’Connor on Nietzsche, Plato, Christ: https://youtu.be/LOJfVZ7DhAA Refere...

The Problem with Modern Dating | David O’Connor on Nietzsche, Plato, Christ 22.08.2025 2:23:15

Companion lectures and interviews: * Plato on Love Lecture: Coming Soon Reference Texts (affiliate): * David O'Connor, Plato's Bedroom: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love (https://amzn.to/4myirtv) Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

Harvard Professor’s Masterclass on Machiavelli | Harvey Mansfield 16.08.2025 1:56:50

Companion lectures and interviews: * Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality Explained: Reference Texts (affiliate): * Harvey Mansfield, Machiavelli's Effectual Truth (https://amzn.to/4oImTb0) * Harvey Mansfield, Machiavelli's New Modes and Orders: A Study of the Discourses on Livy (https://amzn.to/4luj7iA) * Harvey Mansfield, Machiavelli's Virtue (https://amzn.to/4lscehq) Get full access to Johnathan B...

Debate: Can AI Write a Great Book? 08.08.2025 44:11

Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

Plato’s Guide to Virtue | Cornell’s Rachana Kamtekar 05.07.2025 1:37:34

An interview with Rachana Kamtekar on virtue in Plato, Stoicism, and Indian Philosophy. Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://www.johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-rachana-kamtekar-on-plato-virtue-ethics Companion lectures and interviews: * Rachana Kamtekar on Plato's Mora...

A Systematic Critique of Stoic Philosophy | Cicero's Definibus 27.06.2025 1:21:24

A Systematic Critique of Stoic Philosophy building off of Nietzsche's Gay Science and Cicero's Definibus Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://www.johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-critique-of-stoicism-lecture If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my co...

Why You Self-Sabotage | Rachana Kamtekar on Plato’s Moral Psychology 09.06.2025 1:06:37

Rachana Kamtekar on Plato's Moral Psychology Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-rachana-kamtekar-on-plato-moral-psychology If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbook...

Introduction to Ancient Skepticism | Tad Brennan on Sextus Empiricus 01.06.2025 1:40:42

Tad Brennan on the Ancient Skepticism of Sextus Empiricus Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-tad-brannen-on-sextus-empiricus If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbo...

How Stoics Reconcile Determinism & Free Will | Cornell's Tad Brennan 24.05.2025 56:55

An interview with Tad Brennan on Stoic determinism Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-tad-brennan-on-stoic-fate If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io Compan...

The Signs that AI is Conscious | Imperial's Murray Shanahan 10.05.2025 1:28:34

An interview with Murray Shanahan on philosophy and AI consciousness. For more on how you can get involved with Cosmos including roles we are hiring for & how to receive our grants, visit: https://johnathanbi.com/cosmos You can read the full transcript here: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-murray-shanahan-on-ai Companion Interviews: * Reid Hoffman on the Killer App of A...

AI's Killer-App Isn't Chatbots, It's Social | Linkedin Founder Reid Hoffman 03.05.2025 1:22:21

An interview with Reid Hoffman For more on how you can get involved with Cosmos including roles we are hiring for & how to receive our grants, visit: https://johnathanbi.com/cosmos You can read the full transcript here: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-reid-hoffman-on-ai Companion Interviews: * Tyler Cowen on AI, US-China, Jobs, and War: https://youtu.be/t6Je8EKhUyw * Ni...

Why Stoicism Doesn’t Work Without God | Tad Brennan on Stoic Ethics 26.04.2025 52:09

An interview with Cornell's Tad Brennan on Stoic ethics & religion Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/interview-with-tad-brennan-on-stoic-religion If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io C...

The Slave Who Was Free | Berkeley’s AA Long on Epictetus 11.04.2025 1:05:07

An interview with Berkeley’s AA Long on Epictetus Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Companion lectures and interviews: * AA Long on Hellenistic Philosophy Further Reading: * AA Long, Epictetus Amazon (affiliate) Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

The Case for Emotional Pacifism | Martha Nussbaum on Britten’s War Requiem 04.04.2025 45:55

An Interview with Martha Nussbaum Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-martha-nussbaum-on-war-requiem If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io Companion lectures...

Introduction to Hellenistic Philosophy | AA Long on Stoicism, Skepticism, Epicureanism 28.03.2025 1:26:26

Interview with AA Long on Hellenistic Philosophy Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-anthony-long-on-hellenistic-philosophy If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbook...

Why Plato Hated Democracy | GRF Ferrari on the Republic 21.03.2025 1:26:19

Interview with GRF Ferrari on Plato's Republic Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-grf-ferrari-on-plato-republic If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io Compan...

The First 80 years of AI, and What Comes Next | Oxford’s Michael Wooldridge 11.03.2025 1:26:57

Interview with Michael Wooldridge I made this video as a fellow of the Cosmos Institute, a 501c3 academy for philosopher-builders. * Read the Cosmos Institute Substack ► https://bit.ly/3XK5T7k * Subscribe to the Cosmos Institute on YouTube ► @cosmosinstituteaixhf * Follow Cosmos’ founder and my friend Brendan McCord on X ► https://bit.ly/3Y9pFLb You can read the full transcript here: https://www.j...

How to Prepare for the AI Age: US-China, War, Job Loss | Tyler Cowen 17.02.2025 1:05:26

I made this video as a fellow of the Cosmos Institute, a 501c3 academy for philosopher-builders. * Read the Cosmos Institute Substack ► https://bit.ly/3XK5T7k * Subscribe to the Cosmos Institute on YouTube ► @cosmosinstituteaixhf * Follow Cosmos’ founder and my friend Brendan McCord on X ► https://bit.ly/3Y9pFLb You can read the full transcript here: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-in...

Plato’s Critique of Hookup Culture | GRF Ferrari on the Phaedrus 08.02.2025 1:09:13

An Interview with Berkeley's GRF Ferrari Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Read the full Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-grf-ferrari-on-plato-phaedrus Companion lectures and interviews: * GRF Ferrari on Plato’s Republic (Coming soon) Further Readings: * Plato, Phaedrus , Ama...

Making Sense of Christianity's Violent Past | Carlos Eire 02.02.2025 1:00:23

An interview with Carlos Eire Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Full Transcript: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-for-interview-with-carlos-eire-on-christian-history If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io C...

Introduction to Stoic Philosophy | Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations Explained 16.01.2025 1:21:46

A lecture on Marcus Aurelius' Meditations Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com Full Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-lecture-on-marcus-aurelius-meditations If you want a chance to attend my lectures and be kept up to date on all my content subscribe to my newsletter: greatbooks.io Companion le...