Johnathan Bi
Lectures & Interviews on the Great Books
Insights from the Great Books
Show overview
Johnathan Bi has been publishing since 2022, and across the 4 years since has built a catalogue of 81 episodes. That works out to roughly 110 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run an hour to ninety minutes — most land between 1h and 1h 38m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 24 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 33 episodes published. Published by Insights from the Great Books.
From the publisher
Lectures & Interviews on the Great Books www.johnathanbi.com
Latest Episodes
View all 81 episodesWhy We Need to Respect AI’s Rights | NYU Philosopher Harvey Lederman
Capitalism vs Aristocracy: Who Actually Had it Better? Tocqueville Seminar ft. Alpha School
Why Odysseus Cries When Listening to the Trojan War Stories | Gregory Nagy
How to Choose a Good Wife (According to Odysseus)
Odysseus and the Art of Lying | Homer's Odyssey Explained
What Happens to Odysseus After the Odyssey? Telegony, Inferno, Ulysses, Republic Compared
Homer Didn't Write The Odyssey, This is Who Did | Harvard’s Gregory Nagy
America's War on Christianity | Tocqueville on Religion
Democracy with American Characteristics | Tocqueville on America's Industrial Aristocracy
The American Love of Acquisition & Commerce | UT Philosopher Thomas Pangle
The 4 Best Books to Prepare for AI (of the Hundreds I’ve Read)
The Path to God is Through Sex | Rice Professor Jeff Kripal
The High Integrity Way Great Men Chase Fame | UT Philosopher Thomas Pangle on the American Founding
Comparing the World Religions with Rice's Jeff Kripal
Inside the CIA’s Psychic Spy Program | Stargate
An interview with Jeff Kripal on Stargate and remote viewing.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-jeff-kripalon-on-stargate Companion interviews:The Secret Religion of Nietzsche | On Mysticism https://youtu.be/z_ux64RyQGU Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe
Only Treachery Can Defend Freedom | Machiavelli's Domestic Policy Explained
A lecture on Machiavelli’s the Prince and the Discourses on Livy. 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-lecture-on-machiavellis-domestic-policyCompanion interviews: - You Need More Danger In Your Life | Machiavelli Explained: https://youtu.be/W5EeZ4i73IM- This is How I Fell in Love with Machiavelli | Q&A: https://youtu.be/zXUvEN-LI_M- Power Will Cost You Everything, It’s Worth It: https://youtu.be/zPKMDxVBZ8A- The Forgotten 11th Commandment | Princeton’s Maurizio Viroli on Machiavelli's God: https://youtu.be/cE6gz40RRV8- Why You Must Acquire Power at All Costs | Harvard’s Harvey Mansfield on Machiavelli: https://youtu.be/l21HUb4uunMThese were the secondary texts I referenced and found most insightful (affiliate links)- Mansfield, Machiavelli’s Virtue: https://amzn.to/44twNVb- Mansfield, Machiavelli’s Effectual Truth: https://amzn.to/4phinje- Viroli, Machiavelli’s God: https://amzn.to/49FZAtf- McCormick, Machiavellian Democracy: https://amzn.to/43QiNVq Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe
Nietzsche Was NOT an Atheist. He Was a Mystic
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-jeff-kripal-on-nietzscheCompanion lectures and interviews:- Masters vs. Slaves | Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality Explained: https://youtu.be/M0w2eQ-FcEA Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe
The Chinese Billionaire Paying People to Have Kids | James Liang on Demography
An interview with James Liang, founder of https://trip.comYou can get his new book Innovationism here: https://amzn.to/3MGCWI2Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://cosmosinst.typeform.com/johnathanbiTranscript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/interview-with-james-liang-on-demographyWe are hiring/investing/building at Cosmos, to learn about all the ways to get involved check out: https://johnathanbi.com/cosmos Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe
The Overwhelming Evidence for Miracles Suppressed By Authorities | Princeton's Dale Allison
An interview with Princeton’s Dale AllisonSubscribe to our 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-interview-with-dale-allison-on-miraclesCompanion lectures and interviews:- The Devastating Wrong Turn in Early Christianity | Princeton Historian Explains: https://youtu.be/CTM8YFMMZrk- The Surprising Evidence for Christian Miracles | Yale Historian Carlos Eire: https://youtu.be/Dm-xlAHM7Xc Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe
The Struggle for Recognition | Axel Honneth
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: https://www.johnathanbi.com/Transcript: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcr... Companion interviews: Columbia Professor Teaches the Art of Self-Esteem | Fred Neuhouser on Rousseau: • Columbia Professor Teaches the Art of Self... Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe