Johnathan Bi shares his journey from successful tech founder to independent philosophy lecturer, explaining why he walked away from founder equity to pursue his passion for bringing philosophical works to a broader audience. Through a unique modern patronage model backed by tech leaders, he's creating high-production lecture videos while maintaining his own independence.

The conversation explores how modern education systems, particularly in places like Beijing, systematically push students away from humanities toward technical subjects. Bi offers fascinating insights into the parallels between Renaissance patronage and modern content creation, revealing how he's built sustainable funding relationships while staying true to his scholarly mission. His approach challenges conventional wisdom about career paths and content monetization, suggesting a new model for independent intellectual work in the digital age.

I'm joined by Nina Power and DC Miller to discuss Plato's Republic. Topics include physical training and physical pleasure, philosophy under political repression, the training of philosophy, wealth, social class, and the role of irony in philosophy.

Starting with the opening scene of The Republic, we explore how philosophy operates under political pressure and the relationship between justice, truth, and madness. We discuss the role of wealth in philosophical pursuit, Christianity's synthesis of Greek philosophical ideas, and whether philosophy should be universally accessible or the province of a select few.

03:02 Plato’s Republic and Justice
07:09 Should Philosophy Be Popular?
14:35 Wealth
34:29 Thinking
35:17 Christianity and Free Speech
36:43 Beauty
38:11 Philosophy and Social Class
43:26 Madness and Philosophy
53:28 The Role of Physical Training in Philosophy
59:51 Irony

I explore Nietzsche's critique of Christianity in The Genealogy of Morals, and specifically how it stands against what we find in the New Testament, especially the Gospel of John. Nietzsche’s understanding of Christian belief as naive and slavish is inconsistent with the sophisticated epistemology presented by John. I discuss the pursuit of truth, the function of miracles, and the essence of sin according to John. Christ seems to be advocating for the pursuit of truth, not some kind of naive, blind faith. Nietzsche’s accusations against Christianity just don't hold up, and probably reflect his own personal struggles with resentment.

Other Life
✦ The coolest free newsletter in the world: https://otherlife.co
✦ The monthly PRINT edition: https://otherlife.co/upgrade
✦ My new book, The Independent Scholar: https://otherlife.co/scholar

• (00:00) - Nietzsche vs. John
• (02:28) - Introduction
• (05:27) - Nietzsche's Critique of Christianity
• (09:42) - Christ on Truth and Belief in John
• (20:06) - The Rationality of Christianity
• (26:36) - Knowledge and Ethics
• (31:41) - Nietzsche's Critique of Truth
• (36:02) - Truth and Freedom

For references, see Nietzsche on the Pride of the Philosopher in Contrast to the Slave

✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co

✦ If you're working on independent creative work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

A personal reflection and update on my 5-year journey to design a new kind of scholarly life for the internet era. In a previous podcast, I shared how the Other Life company hit some hard times. Here I explain what I learned from that, and how I've turned it around. I share some meditations on the pursuit of weird goals, finding one's own path, and some new things I've come to learn about entrepreneurship. The ultimate meaning and purpose of the "other life" concept has really come home to me in the past few months.

Other Life

✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co

IndieThinkers.org

✦ If you're working on independent creative work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

• (00:00) - A Late Night Message
• (01:19) - On authenticity
• (04:12) - Creativity vs. Business
• (10:51) - The Creator Economy and Power
• (11:50) - Network Power
• (14:46) - The Fear of Failure
• (16:19) - What is the Other Life?
• (18:53) - On Truth
• (19:17) - The Future of Other Life

On muddling through, faith, and the absurdity of pursuing a singular creative vision on the open market...

A story about the past few months of Other Life (and the next few).

✦ If you’re in the Los Angeles area, come to our meetup tomorrow Friday Dec. 1 at 3pm in Santa Monica. RSVP here.

Other Life

✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://otherlife.co

✦ Become a member https://otherlife.co/upgrade

I'm joined by author William Egginton to discuss his new book The Rigor of Angels. We talk Borges, Kant, and Heisenberg—and the big idea(s) they had in common. We discuss the antimonies of knowledge and the possibility that art is their solution. We discuss Coltrane, intelligence, creativity, biography, academia, and specialization vs. generalism. At the end, we discuss writing and publishing, the changing landscape of the book publishing industry, and how to think about writing for different audiences.

Chapters:
(0:00:00) - The Rigor of Angels
(0:10:43) - The Antinomies of Knowledge
(0:19:55) - Impact of Great Art and Thinkers
(0:23:41) - Curiosity and Conviviality
(0:30:31) - Creativity and Intelligence
(0:43:28) - The Future of Writing and Publishing
(0:49:27) - Academic vs. Popular Writing

William Egginton:
✦ Buy the Rigor of Angels: https://amzn.to/3Rj3fDV
✦ William on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WilliamEgginton

Other Life
✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world. https://otherlife.co
✦ Become a member. https://otherlife.co/upgrade

IndieThinkers.org
✦ If you're an independent writer, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

We dissect the complex life of Ezra Pound, one of the most interesting and controversial poetic geniuses of the 20th century. You'll gain insight into: Why Pound was so influential, his extraordinary talent-spotting skills, and his knack for turning vibrant social scenes into artistic movements. However, be prepared for a rollercoaster ride, as we also delve into the darker sides of Pound's life, including his descent into Fascism and anti-semitism. I believe the story is a cautionary tale about resentment, the modern passion par excellence, and a dangerous trap for people who rebel against institutions.

This podcast will help you understand Pound's poetic and cultural innovations, including Imagism and Vorticism, and how his strong opinions and unique perspective propelled him, despite his controversial and often off-putting personality. We'll recount his turbulent career during WWI and WWII, his friendship with W.B. Yeats, the launch of Blast Magazine, and much more.

This podcast is based on a close reading of Ezra Pound: The Solitary Volcano (1987) by John Tytell.

Chapters

(0:00:00) - Intro
(0:04:04) - Summary of Lessons From Ezra Pound's Life
(0:17:22) - Dense Networks and Creative Success
(0:26:26) - Imagism and Vorticism
(0:37:05) - Wyndham Lewis and Blast Magazine
(0:42:41) - A Restless and Controversial Personality
(0:53:07) - Taste, Talent-Spotting, and Pound's Extreme Generosity
(1:04:52) - Downward Spiral
(1:18:29) - Ezra Pound's Reflections Late in Life
(1:22:07) - Final Lessons

Other Life
✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world. https://otherlife.co
✦ Join the community and get the bi-annual print edition by becoming a member. https://otherlife.co/upgrade

IndieThinkers.org

✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

• (00:00) - Overview
• (04:04) - Summary of Lessons From Ezra Pound's Life
• (17:22) - Intense Friendships and Creative Success
• (26:26) - Imagism and Vorticism
• (37:05) - Wyndham Lewis, Blast Magazine
• (42:41) - A Restless and Controversial Personality
• (53:07) - Taste, Talent-Spotting, and Pound's Extreme Generosity
• (01:04:52) - Downward Spiral Into Fascism
• (01:18:29) - Ezra Pound's Reflections Late in Life
• (01:22:07) - Final Lessons