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:
If you are around Florence next week (Aug 4th - 9th) and would like to join a Great Books dinner meet up with me, fill in your details here and I will email you!
EARLY ACCESS: I am launching a new series on philosopher-builders: technologists who’ve had deep engagement with philosophy. My first episode is ready, it’s with the founder of a $16 billion public company who was a superstar philosopher at Princeton (BA) and Oxford (graduate) before having an existential crisis and moving to SF.
I’d love some feedback before the main launch so if you are open to it, just enter your email below and I’ll add you to our newsletter where I will be sending you an early access link early next week!
Johnathan Bi
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 days ago | [YT] | 52
View 5 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
1 month ago | [YT] | 147
View 11 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hosting a lecture on Machiavelli 11/9 evening NYC, apply here to attend: forms.gle/ftsvUwFXwnQJQuEC7
2 months ago | [YT] | 44
View 3 replies
Johnathan Bi
Hosting my next lecture on Machiavelli October 12th evening NYC, apply here to attend: forms.gle/dLfwNK23MvEELgLt5?
3 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
4 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:
4 months ago | [YT] | 78
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
4 months ago | [YT] | 66
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
5 months ago | [YT] | 119
View 14 replies
Johnathan Bi
If you are around Florence next week (Aug 4th - 9th) and would like to join a Great Books dinner meet up with me, fill in your details here and I will email you!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd24Km0xMIw7b5Z67…
5 months ago | [YT] | 39
View 4 replies
Johnathan Bi
EARLY ACCESS: I am launching a new series on philosopher-builders: technologists who’ve had deep engagement with philosophy. My first episode is ready, it’s with the founder of a $16 billion public company who was a superstar philosopher at Princeton (BA) and Oxford (graduate) before having an existential crisis and moving to SF.
I’d love some feedback before the main launch so if you are open to it, just enter your email below and I’ll add you to our newsletter where I will be sending you an early access link early next week!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSci_d3ySY-yjWuWaP…
6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 102
View 7 replies
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