My most treasured memory at Columbia was attending seminars led by a great professor, close reading a rich text. My life has been fundamentally changed through those interactions: I’ve met my best friends, transformed my world-view, and got a better sense of what matters in my life.
I really miss those settings so I decided to co-organize one with a legendary Stanford professor to read one of the most important novels of the 20th century: The Man Without Qualities. This is a text I wish I had read in college, and I can’t wait to read it with you together in an online seminar which I will be personally attending.
If you want to learn more about why this book is so important for finding meaning in the 21st century, the seminar structure, and about the professor leading it:
Happy to share an incredible milestone: crossing 1.3M subscribers across platforms in just the first 1.5 years of launch!
I’m very thankful to each and every one of you who has engaged with my work.
I’m now looking to hire a remote podcast production manager to take the channel to the next level. Please submit applications to: johnathan at greatbooks dot io
The only hard requirements for this role are 1. to be a regular consumer of my content with a passion for intellectual inquiry 2. high autonomy, comfortable with ill-defined problem spaces, uncertainty, and being scrappy 3. Native english fluency, comfortable reading dense scholarly works.
In addition, the ideal candidate will also know:
* Video editing * Thumbnail design * Making viral clips and shorts * How to grow social media channels * Writing viral X copy
… but don’t worry if you don’t tick all these boxes, these are skills that can be learned on the job.
We are open to both part and full-time applicants with preference for the latter. Applicants who apply should intend to stay for the long term (and not treat this as a transitional role for few months as it takes a lot to train someone up).
PS: No geographical limitations, open to anyone anywhere!
Hey everyone, Johnathan here. Sharing a public invite to an Austin event I will be hosting Feb 27 - Mar 1.
Very excited to share that we at Cosmos Institute are hosting our first in-person gathering in Austin at the end of Feb 2026, convening ~120 top philosophers, technologists, and founders who are shaping how AI can advance human flourishing. We’re opening a limited number of additional spots to the public, and I invite you to apply!
I’d love to hang out with you in person + you will be able to attend my first live interview recording.
The weekend centers on three things:
1. Connect with the people who matter to your work. Whether you’re looking for technical collaborators, seeking funding, or want to connect with founders/philosophers tackling similar problems, they’ll be there.
2. Get feedback on what you’re building. Join small group discussions and set up 1:1s with people whose expertise complements yours.
3. Shape what comes next. We’re launching the next phase of Cosmos. Your perspective will determine how we support philosopher-builders going forward.
Logistics:
Dates: Feb 27th (evening) to March 1st (morning), 2026 Application deadline: January 25th, 2026
I want to share an incredible, fully-funded opportunity to travel Greece, study the classics and come hang out with me.
Last summer, I attended Ralston College’s MA program in the humanities learning Ancient Greek while traveling across Greece. It was the best trip of my life, added a whole new dimension to my understanding of the classics and resulted in lifelong friendships. I cannot recommend it enough and I’m not writing this as a paid promotion but out of genuine enthusiasm of what they built. This year, I will be returning as an instructor (for a seminar or two) and so you’ll also get the chance to hang out with me if you are selected.
This is a fully-funded one-year MA: you spend the first 2 months traveling in Greece in an Ancient Greek Intensive and the rest of the year in Savannah Georgia going through the Western Canon. Currently it is only open to American citizens. You can apply before December 18th here for priority consideration: ralston.ac/apply
Hosting a dinner seminar late September in NYC to read Thiel’s Straussian Moment and Optimistic Thought Experiment in relation to parts of Girard’s Battling to the End, apply to join:
I’ve started a clips channel on youtube to share the absolute highlights from my 2+ hour episodes in more digestible chunks of 5-10 minutes. Would mean a lot if you could subscribe to help me jump start it:
Johnathan Bi
Come join me for a live seminar!
My most treasured memory at Columbia was attending seminars led by a great professor, close reading a rich text. My life has been fundamentally changed through those interactions: I’ve met my best friends, transformed my world-view, and got a better sense of what matters in my life.
I really miss those settings so I decided to co-organize one with a legendary Stanford professor to read one of the most important novels of the 20th century: The Man Without Qualities. This is a text I wish I had read in college, and I can’t wait to read it with you together in an online seminar which I will be personally attending.
If you want to learn more about why this book is so important for finding meaning in the 21st century, the seminar structure, and about the professor leading it:
studymusil.com/jb/
PS: We are capping attendance at 25 people and spots are filling up fast, so apply soon if you want to join. See you in class!
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 41
View 3 replies
Johnathan Bi
Happy to share an incredible milestone: crossing 1.3M subscribers across platforms in just the first 1.5 years of launch!
I’m very thankful to each and every one of you who has engaged with my work.
I’m now looking to hire a remote podcast production manager to take the channel to the next level. Please submit applications to: johnathan at greatbooks dot io
The only hard requirements for this role are 1. to be a regular consumer of my content with a passion for intellectual inquiry 2. high autonomy, comfortable with ill-defined problem spaces, uncertainty, and being scrappy 3. Native english fluency, comfortable reading dense scholarly works.
In addition, the ideal candidate will also know:
* Video editing
* Thumbnail design
* Making viral clips and shorts
* How to grow social media channels
* Writing viral X copy
… but don’t worry if you don’t tick all these boxes, these are skills that can be learned on the job.
We are open to both part and full-time applicants with preference for the latter. Applicants who apply should intend to stay for the long term (and not treat this as a transitional role for few months as it takes a lot to train someone up).
PS: No geographical limitations, open to anyone anywhere!
2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 137
View 10 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hey everyone, Johnathan here. Sharing a public invite to an Austin event I will be hosting Feb 27 - Mar 1.
Very excited to share that we at Cosmos Institute are hosting our first in-person gathering in Austin at the end of Feb 2026, convening ~120 top philosophers, technologists, and founders who are shaping how AI can advance human flourishing. We’re opening a limited number of additional spots to the public, and I invite you to apply!
I’d love to hang out with you in person + you will be able to attend my first live interview recording.
The weekend centers on three things:
1. Connect with the people who matter to your work. Whether you’re looking for technical collaborators, seeking funding, or want to connect with founders/philosophers tackling similar problems, they’ll be there.
2. Get feedback on what you’re building. Join small group discussions and set up 1:1s with people whose expertise complements yours.
3. Shape what comes next. We’re launching the next phase of Cosmos. Your perspective will determine how we support philosopher-builders going forward.
Logistics:
Dates: Feb 27th (evening) to March 1st (morning), 2026
Application deadline: January 25th, 2026
cosmosinst.typeform.com/symposium-2026#source=john…
Ticket costs are $250 but we are offering scholarships to those who need it!
2 months ago | [YT] | 59
View 9 replies
Johnathan Bi
I want to share an incredible, fully-funded opportunity to travel Greece, study the classics and come hang out with me.
Last summer, I attended Ralston College’s MA program in the humanities learning Ancient Greek while traveling across Greece. It was the best trip of my life, added a whole new dimension to my understanding of the classics and resulted in lifelong friendships. I cannot recommend it enough and I’m not writing this as a paid promotion but out of genuine enthusiasm of what they built. This year, I will be returning as an instructor (for a seminar or two) and so you’ll also get the chance to hang out with me if you are selected.
This is a fully-funded one-year MA: you spend the first 2 months traveling in Greece in an Ancient Greek Intensive and the rest of the year in Savannah Georgia going through the Western Canon. Currently it is only open to American citizens. You can apply before December 18th here for priority consideration: ralston.ac/apply
5 months ago | [YT] | 146
View 11 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hosting a lecture on Machiavelli 11/9 evening NYC, apply here to attend: forms.gle/ftsvUwFXwnQJQuEC7
6 months ago | [YT] | 45
View 3 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hosting my next lecture on Machiavelli October 12th evening NYC, apply here to attend: forms.gle/dLfwNK23MvEELgLt5?
7 months ago | [YT] | 81
View 2 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hosting a dinner seminar late September in NYC to read Thiel’s Straussian Moment and Optimistic Thought Experiment in relation to parts of Girard’s Battling to the End, apply to join:
forms.gle/kxeQ2Nn7QCcHq1wE8
7 months ago | [YT] | 52
View 5 replies
Johnathan Bi
Planning an interview with a Chinese scholar to talk about how the Classical Liberal tradition shaped modern China. What language should I do it in:
7 months ago | [YT] | 79
View 26 replies
Johnathan Bi
I'll be hosting a @cosmos_inst philosopher-builder dinner seminar in SF evening of 10/2.
If you are a founder/investor/researcher building in AI and also interested in philosophy apply:
forms.gle/HfruXzrnCBSUymea8
8 months ago | [YT] | 67
View 1 reply
Johnathan Bi
Hey guys, can I ask a quick favor?
I’ve started a clips channel on youtube to share the absolute highlights from my 2+ hour episodes in more digestible chunks of 5-10 minutes. Would mean a lot if you could subscribe to help me jump start it:
youtube.com/@JohnathanBiClips
8 months ago | [YT] | 119
View 14 replies
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