Johnathan Bi started out getting trained in Mathematics, and then eventually went on to study Philosophy and Computer Science at Columbia. He hosts a lecture series on René Girard’s Mimetic Theory and is also a founding member of Lonsdale Investment Technology. Important Links: - Lecture series: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu6vBebwwg) - Twitter: (https://twitter.com/JohnathanBi) - Website: (https://johnathanbi.com/) - Lonsdale Investment Technology: (https://www.longterm.com/) Show Notes: - Becoming pessimistic with age - Humiliation always comes back to bite you - How Jonathan got introduced to Buddhism and Girard - Why Jonathan left academia - The driving human emotion - Has modernity ignored the “spirit”? - Girard’s apocalyptic predictions - Wild, wild west of capitalism - The mystery with the discovery of the skull - What does eugenics say about science? - Science becoming dictatorial - Buddhism figuring out the inner telescope - Physical vs. metaphysical desires - Mimesis in asset valuation - Price to magic ratio - Nietzsche's will of power - Is delusion bad? - Can internet lead to greater violence? - “The Buddhist Solution” - Girard—A rescuer of spirit - And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: - The Status Game; by Will Storr - The Struggle for Recognition; by Axel Honneth - Sapiens; by Yuval Noah Harari - The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr - The Origin of Species; Charles Darwin - Untimely Meditations; by Friedrich Nietzsche
[00:15:02]Ahead of the release of the next episode of his lecture series on René Girard, Johnathan Bi returns for his second appearance on the show. He and Jim discuss Girard, prestige, innovation, AI, and much more. Enjoy! Important Links: - Johnathan’s website - https://johnathanbi.com - Johnathan’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/johnathanbi - Johnathan’s lecture series with David Perell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu6vBebwwg - Our research note on Johnathan - https://substack.com/inbox/post/87143193 - Johnathan’s first appearance on the show - https://www.infiniteloopspodcast.com/johnathan-bi-girard-desire-and-modernity-ep116/ Show Notes: [00:01:02] - Main Podcast [00:03:22] - The Girardian notion of prestige [00:06:13] - What proof is there for mimesis? [00:15:02] - The difference between mimesis and status signalling [00:34:02] - Historical understandings of innovation [00:40:08] - A conversation between a pessimist and an optimist [00:52:05] - AI, progress and the panopticon [01:08:18] - Could we ban innovation? and more! Books Mentioned: - The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr - The Alchemy of Finance; by George Soros - The Laws of Imitation; by Gabriel Tarde - When These Things Begin: Conversations with Michel Treguer; by René Girard - The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch - The Invention of Improvement: Information and Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England; by Paul Slack - Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel Disclaimer: Jim O'Shaughnessy is chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, where Jamie Catherwood is an associate. All opinions expressed by Jim, Jamie and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinions of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast.