Excited to share that a group of friends and I are starting the Eternity Foundation (www.eternity.giving/) -- a non-profit dedicated to rescuing the best of classical civilization in the age of AI. Our first project will be to translate a massive treasure trove of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist canonical texts to english at a fraction of the time and cost with the latest AI techniques.
Checkout our launch event and the various talks hosted by our team:
I’m thrilled to launch a new interview series on Philosophy x AI as a fellow of the Cosmos Institute, where we explore the philosophical implications of this AI revolution and how best to promote human flourishing.
The first episode with Tyler Cowen on DeepSeek, the US-China AI race, and the philosophy of innovation drops this coming Monday.
After that, we have an awesome lineup of founders, philosophers, and researchers from Oxford, Imperial, DeepMind, and an OG of the PayPal Mafia.
Thanks to my friends Brendan and Loren at Cosmos for collaborating with me on this series. For fans of my Great Books series, fear not, this will not replace my work there. If anything, this series will show why our study of philosophy is more necessary than ever in an era of radical technological change.
Hey all, thanks for all the tremendous support, can't believe its only been 6 months since I've launched my great books project. I'm hosting my next lecture 2/16 afternoon in Tribeca, NYC. Most of my audience are friends but I have about 5-10 slots budgeted to meet new fans. Attendance is completely free just apply below:
Can’t believe it’s already been a year since I’ve been working on the Great Books series full-time.
To be frank: the transition from tech to this Great Books project has been challenging. Not just logistically or even financially but above all spiritually: there was always a small but constant voice badgering me that being an “influencer” just isn’t what a serious person should be doing. What got me through the initial hump and the many moments of doubt since was my love for the great books … and all of your enthusiastic and vocal support. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you guys! I’ve been working like a dog (and still trying to explain to my Asian parents why I gave up a lucrative career in tech :p) but I’m waking up everyday excited about this work, and that’s what matters.
Early on, I made the decision to invest in the best quality production — just as how Machiavelli would put on his best clothes when he read the classics — for that is the dignity they deserve. Since I tailor my content for a learned audience instead of chasing after views, the only way I can afford that production was to go the non-profit route with a sponsor. All of the episodes you’ve seen are funded directly by people passionate about the great books like yourself. So if you want to pass the torch along and make it possible for others to discover the same wonder, please consider making a non-profit donation this holiday season.
All donations will be spent on the production of future lectures & interviews and are 100% tax deductible:
Johnathan Bi
Johnathan Bi
Hosting my next lecture on Plato's Symposium 5/18 in NYC. Apply here to attend for free:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJHzlG6Ryncjty3I…
3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 23
View 2 replies
Johnathan Bi
Excited to share that a group of friends and I are starting the Eternity Foundation (www.eternity.giving/) -- a non-profit dedicated to rescuing the best of classical civilization in the age of AI. Our first project will be to translate a massive treasure trove of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist canonical texts to english at a fraction of the time and cost with the latest AI techniques.
Checkout our launch event and the various talks hosted by our team:
Bob Thurman -- Eternity Foundation Launch Opening Remarks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3JG2...
Tom Yarnall -- The Nālandā Renaissance Tradition of Liberating Arts and Sciences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW1px...
Francis Pedraza Intro -- Eternity Foundation & Restoring Nālandā
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_gZn...
David Kittay -- Wisdom & Compassion Inseparable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS3RN...
Scott Downes -- Supernal & Nālandā -- AI-assisted Research & Translation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LG2z...
Zohar Atkins -- Lightning - "Inspiring learning as a way of life."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nYOY...
Francis Pedraza Outro -- The History of Simulation Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiSMC...
3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 22
View 1 reply
Johnathan Bi
Starting an in-person Philosophy X Technology dinner seminar series open to founders & investors.
We will be reading Girard's overlooked essay Innovation and Repetition -- where he outlines his philosophy of "mimetic innovation."
Apply for NY 3/5: forms.gle/PVn28oTk4hZMRmQMA
Apply for SF Mid-March: forms.gle/Pi2Bp23t2zrzcTjB7
2 months ago | [YT] | 49
View 4 replies
Johnathan Bi
Introducing: The Philosophy x AI Series
I’m thrilled to launch a new interview series on Philosophy x AI as a fellow of the Cosmos Institute, where we explore the philosophical implications of this AI revolution and how best to promote human flourishing.
The first episode with Tyler Cowen on DeepSeek, the US-China AI race, and the philosophy of innovation drops this coming Monday.
After that, we have an awesome lineup of founders, philosophers, and researchers from Oxford, Imperial, DeepMind, and an OG of the PayPal Mafia.
Thanks to my friends Brendan and Loren at Cosmos for collaborating with me on this series. For fans of my Great Books series, fear not, this will not replace my work there. If anything, this series will show why our study of philosophy is more necessary than ever in an era of radical technological change.
2 months ago | [YT] | 190
View 10 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hey all, thanks for all the tremendous support, can't believe its only been 6 months since I've launched my great books project. I'm hosting my next lecture 2/16 afternoon in Tribeca, NYC. Most of my audience are friends but I have about 5-10 slots budgeted to meet new fans. Attendance is completely free just apply below:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfmUOvmB2gk0y-cW…
In the future, I will most likely only be sharing these invites on my newsletter so be sure to subscribe to that: johnathanbi.com
3 months ago | [YT] | 218
View 16 replies
Johnathan Bi
Can’t believe it’s already been a year since I’ve been working on the Great Books series full-time.
To be frank: the transition from tech to this Great Books project has been challenging. Not just logistically or even financially but above all spiritually: there was always a small but constant voice badgering me that being an “influencer” just isn’t what a serious person should be doing. What got me through the initial hump and the many moments of doubt since was my love for the great books … and all of your enthusiastic and vocal support. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you guys! I’ve been working like a dog (and still trying to explain to my Asian parents why I gave up a lucrative career in tech :p) but I’m waking up everyday excited about this work, and that’s what matters.
Early on, I made the decision to invest in the best quality production — just as how Machiavelli would put on his best clothes when he read the classics — for that is the dignity they deserve. Since I tailor my content for a learned audience instead of chasing after views, the only way I can afford that production was to go the non-profit route with a sponsor. All of the episodes you’ve seen are funded directly by people passionate about the great books like yourself. So if you want to pass the torch along and make it possible for others to discover the same wonder, please consider making a non-profit donation this holiday season.
All donations will be spent on the production of future lectures & interviews and are 100% tax deductible:
app.ribbon.giving/campaigns/camp_uvcgjFPPAJrZrvTU
4 months ago | [YT] | 182
View 8 replies
Johnathan Bi
What thinker would you like me to cover next:
5 months ago | [YT] | 164
View 78 replies
Johnathan Bi
Just published my first peer-reviewed work! It's on my favorite work of Girard which no one reads.
Will be sharing the entire draft to my newsletter this weekend, so subscribe if you haven't yet: greatbooks.io
6 months ago | [YT] | 224
View 13 replies