Johnathan Bi
This is How I Fell in Love with Machiavelli | Q&A
updated
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Transcript: 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/p/cosmos
Companion lectures and interviews:
- Capitalism’s Best Kept Secret: Follow the Fun | Colin Moran, Oxford History: youtu.be/-xkWJq4Qcps
- Same Interview, 8 Years Later: youtu.be/BtKCXw24LRo
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
01:54 1. How To Unalienate Labor
16:37 2. Synthesis
16:38 2.1 Synthesis: How Philosophy Helped Entrepreneurship
30:25 2.2 Synthesis: How Philosophy Hurt Entrepreneurship
38:29 2.3 Synthesis: The First vs. Third Person
46:02 2.4 Synthesis: The Best Parts of Action and Contemplation
52:38 2.5 Synthesis: How Action Changes Contemplation
59:54 2.6 Synthesis: The Character of Academics vs. Entrepreneurs
1:00:45 2.7 Synthesis: Startups and Happiness
1:13:57 3. Contemplation
1:13:58 3.1 Contemplation: Early Life
1:15:49 3.2 Contemplation: Romance
1:22:27 3.3 Contemplation: The Right's Turn Towards PostModernism
1:29:07 3.4 Contemplation: Wittgenstein
1:38:38 4. Action
1:38:38 4.1 Action: Tunneling Through Granite
1:42:25 4.2 Action: Company Building as Nietzschean
1:52:21 4.3 Action: Values
2:04:50 4.4 Action: Money
2:08:38 4.5 Action: AI
2:13:21 Postscript: On Games
Transcript: 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/p/cosmos
Companion lectures and interviews:
- Capitalism’s Best Kept Secret: Follow the Fun | Colin Moran, Oxford History: youtu.be/-xkWJq4Qcps
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
04:32 1. Entrepreneurship as Enlightenment
10:15 2. A Tech Founder Who Doesn't Believe in Progress
17:55 3. How Invisible Will Save the World
27:23 4. Contemplation, Action, and Meditation
35:05 5. Heroism in an Anti-Romantic Age
59:00 6. Triumph over Temptation
1:06:52 7. On Thinker-Doers
1:11:31 8. The Glory of Entrepreneurship
1:32:41 9. The Absurdity of Entrepreneurship
1:36:12 10. The Once & Future King
1:43:04 11. The Necessity of Truth, God, Beauty
1:57:34 12. Francis’ Introduction to the Great Books
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: cosmosinst.typeform.com/johnathanbi
Transcript: johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-colin-moran
We are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get involved check out: johnathanbi.com/cosmos
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
02:08 1. Companies as Cultures
15:27 2. The Role of Faith in Religion & Investing
47:57 3. Ideas Made Flesh: Law & Intellectual History
59:04 4. Wealth & Stewardship
1:15:37 5. National Conservatism
1:23:10 6. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
1:29:18 7. Conservative Innovators
Transcript: johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-brendan-mccord-on-autonomy-and-ai
We are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get involved check out: johnathanbi.com/p/cosmos
Follow Brendan on X: https://x.com/mbrendan1
Companion lectures and interviews:
* AI & The End of Education: youtu.be/Aq_08Vsm5Z0
* Human vs. Machine Consciousness | Imperial’s Murray Shanahan: youtu.be/bBdE7ojaN9k
* The AI Use-Case No One is Talking About | Reid Hoffman: youtu.be/AGMZ4m3oHuw
* Tyler Cowen on AI, US-China, Jobs, and War: youtu.be/t6Je8EKhUyw
* Focus on These AGI-Proof Areas | Nick Bostrom: youtu.be/Ij9bYXmmP-4
* Don’t Believe AI Hype, This is Where it’s Actually Headed | Oxford’s Michael Wooldridge | AI History: youtu.be/Zf-T3XdD9Z8
* AI’s New World Order: US-China, War, Job Loss | Tyler Cowen: youtu.be/t6Je8EKhUyw
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
02:29 1. Against the Pessimists: EA, Longtermism, X-Risk
12:23 2. Against the Optimists: Accelerationism
18:15 3. The Real Risk of Losing Autonomy
26:43 4. The Omniscient Autocomplete Thought Experiment
49:01 5. The Psychology of AI Paternalism
56:56 6. The Intrinsic Benefits Autonomy
1:18:20 7. The Extrinsic Value of Autonomy
1:21:57 8. The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization
1:33:11 9. The Philosopher-Builder
1:47:42 10. Critiques of the Philosopher-Builder
Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com
Transcript: johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-of-lecture-on-platos-symposium
Companion lectures and interviews:
* True Christians Embrace the Erotic | David O’Connor on Nietzsche, Plato, Christ: youtu.be/LOJfVZ7DhAA
Reference Text (Affiliate):
*Plato's Symposium (amzn.to/46drv1g)
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
02:06 1. Modern Culture Does Not Appreciate Beauty
13:49 1.1 Modern Culture Does Not Appreciate Beauty: Context of the Symposium
15:46 2. Aristophanes
15:50 2.1 Aristophanes: Spherical Man
22:24 2.2 Aristophanes: A Modern Philosophy of Love
30:11 3. Socrates
30:17 3.1 Socrates: Love as Lack
34:45 3.2 Socrates: Love is for the Good
37:38 3.3 Socrates: Immortality and Procreation
42:15 3.4 Socrates: Diotima's Ladder
52:50 3.5 Socrates: Critique from Eroticism
1:01:08 3.6 Socrates: Critique from Lack of Stability
1:06:25 3.7 Socrates: Critique from Sexlessness
1:16:20 4. Alcibiades
1:17:17 4.1 Alcibiades: Character & Story
1:23:25 4.2 Alcibiades: the Speech
1:30:37 4.3 Alcibiades: His Failure
1:33:04 5. Conclusion
Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com
Transcript: johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-of-interview-with-david-oconnor-on-modern-love
Companion lectures and interviews:
Love Lecture - Coming Soon
Reference Text (Affiliate):
* David O'Connor, Plato's Bedroom: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love amzn.to/4myirtv
Timestamps:
00:00 0. Introduction
06:52 1. Incel Culture
22:07 2. Corporatization and Sexlessness
27:27 3. Over-Masculinity in Sex and Philosophy
39:39 4. The Challenge Facing Modern Women
47:10 5. The Language of Love Has Been Diminished
53:55 6. Platonic and Catholic Critiques of Marriage
1:04:06 7. Is Marriage Limiting?
1:11:27 8. Faith as Eros
1:17:14 9. Equipollence and the Challenge of Faith
1:42:46 10. Does Marriage Hinder Greatness
1:52:12 11. The Role of Sex in Love
1:56:33 12. Why Catholics Ban Contraception
2:06:56 13. Platonic Love vs. Christian Love
2:09:25 14. Why Monogamy
2:14:18 15. Whom to Love


