90 - Heroes are Dangerous: Rousseau & Nietzsche with Johnathan Bi

06/12/24 • 80 min

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Johnathan Bi left success in the startup world to focus on researching the deep ideas that power the world, and has recently launched his series on the Great Books of the West, starting with his lecture on Nietzsche.

In this episode:

What is Rousseau’s impact on the world?
Johnathan’s Journey towards the Great Thinkers and their Books
The Duality of Heroism & Rousseau as Hero Worshipper
Rousseau’s balanced treatments of Nietzsche’s Ideas
Why do we need Heroes?
The Difference between Desire for Power and Execution of that Power
Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs and their Selfish Desire for Glory
The Hero vs. The Citizen
The Degeneration of Modern Languages
The Core of Nietzsche’s Interest in the Great Heroes of the Past
Tech Startups are Non-Egalitarian!
Rome Against Judea

Resources mentioned:

Johnathan’s Interview and Lecture Series: Great Books of the West
Rousseau’s Discourse on This Question: Which Is the Virtue Most Necessary for a Hero and Which Are the Heroes Who Lacked This Virtue?
Johnathan’s Newsletter

Subscribe to our Substack for transcripts and updates!
Show transcript here

In this episode:

What is Rousseau’s impact on the world?
Johnathan’s Journey towards the Great Thinkers and their Books
The Duality of Heroism & Rousseau as Hero Worshipper
Rousseau’s balanced treatments of Nietzsche’s Ideas
Why do we need Heroes?
The Difference between Desire for Power and Execution of that Power
Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs and their Selfish Desire for Glory
The Hero vs. The Citizen
The Degeneration of Modern Languages
The Core of Nietzsche’s Interest in the Great Heroes of the Past
Tech Startups are Non-Egalitarian!
Rome Against Judea

Resources mentioned:

Johnathan’s Interview and Lecture Series: Great Books of the West
Rousseau’s Discourse on This Question: Which Is the Virtue Most Necessary for a Hero and Which Are the Heroes Who Lacked This Virtue?
Johnathan’s Newsletter

Subscribe to our Substack for transcripts and updates!
Show transcript here

Previous Episode

89 - A Manual for Greatness — with Johnny Burtka

An interview with Johnny Burtka, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He is a graduate of Hillsdale College, and his most recent book is titled “Gateway to Statesmanship—Selections from Xenophon to Churchill”.

In this episode:

The Mirrors for Princes tradition
Obstacles as a Ladder to Greatness
The Potency of Xenophon’s ‘Education of Cyrus’
The Leadership Qualities of Cyrus
The Complex Enduring Power of Cicero’s ‘On Duties’
Cultivating Greatness of Soul and the Magnitudo Animi of Churchill
Machiavelli as Practitioner, not Political Philosopher
Where should an 18-year old dedicate himself to?
Washington’s Farewell Address as a Beautiful Political Text

Books Mentioned:

Gateway to Statesmanship—Selections from Xenophon to Churchill by Johnny Burtka
Education of Cyrus by Xenophon
On Duties by Cicero
The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni
Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts

For the episode transcript, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!

Thanks to our sponsor Intercollegiate Studies Institute! Check out their programs on supporting quality thought and intellectual life in and after your college years.

Next Episode

91 - Gallic Wars 1: Caesar's Chance

The beginning of a new series on Caesar’s masterwork of psychology, strategy, and propaganda: On the Gallic Wars (De Bello Gallico). It’s a world-history making story (the conquest of what’s now modern France), told by a world-history making storyteller.

Caesar entered Gaul as a mere politician. He returned 9 years later as a conqueror - and an enemy of the state. He tells how it all happened with his own pen.

I’m having a blast revisiting this classic, and I think you will too.

Subscribe to the CoG Substack to get high quality transcripts w/ MAPS AND IMAGES - here's the one for this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Ancient Language Institute. If you want to be like Caesar, you should learn an ancient language (Caesar knew Greek in addition to his native Latin). The Ancient Language Institute will help you do just that. Registration is now open (till August 10th) for their Fall term where you can take advanced classes in Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Old English.