Refounding
the modern West.

Is the oft-proclaimed decline of the West a historical inevitability or a self-fulfilling prophecy? What are the origins of the present crisis? How does this moment compare to previous times of turmoil? What lessons can we draw from previous attempts at refounding the West?

Whether you’re founding a new company, city, or state, you’ll soon face fundamental political questions for which there are no easy or obvious answers. This course will help you get a solid grasp of those questions before they arise, so you’ll be better prepared to make wise, prudent decisions as you lay the foundations of your new kingdom.

We’ll examine the questions of true origins, human nature, and social secrets as understood by both ancient and modern thinkers. Readings will include texts by authors such as Polybius, Plutarch, Machiavelli, Bacon, Locke, Montesquieu, Strauss, Berlin, and Girard.

What to expect from this course:

• True origins: Gain an understanding of history that goes beyond the mythical or ideological retellings of past events.
• Human nature: Gain insight into the mimetic forces that are always driving and shaping our most basic social institutions.
• Social secrets: Discover the dual nature of knowledge as well as the dangers and difficulties inherent in the search for truth.

How this course will help you:

• First principles: By knowing the origins of things, you’ll be better able to question and rethink received wisdom.
• Broader perspective: Escape the overton window of the present and discover the wider range of possibilities hidden in the past.
• Synthesis: Read the excellent thinkers of the past without a modern filter and learn how to apply their counsel to solve present challenges.

Course details:

• Schedule: The course starts on Oct 2, 2023, and ends on Feb 4, 2024, with a two-week break from late December to early January.
• Location: The course is fully remote. Discussions will be held at least once a week during evening hours PST.
• Texts: Digital copies of all the texts will be provided.
• Prerequisites: None besides an interest in reading and philosophy.
• Course requirements: In addition to completing all the readings and participating in discussion, you’ll write a two-page (approx. 500 words) reading response every two weeks on the current texts, offering your thoughts on how these texts contribute to our inquiry.
• Facilitator and guest speakers: The course facilitator is John Strider, founder and head of research at Refoundable. Guest speakers will be announced during the program.
• Capacity: The course is open to 8 students only. Priority will be given to early applicants.
• Syllabus and readings: See below.

Pricing, scholarships, and students:

Late Pass: $2,000
Deadline: Sep 30, 2023.

Early Pass: $1,600
Deadline: Sep 15, 2023.

Super Early Pass: $1,200
Deadline: Aug 15, 2023.

• Included: The pricing covers both the course and reading material.
• Refunds: Full refunds are available for 60 days, no questions asked.
• Scholarships: If the pricing is beyond your means, 4 scholarships are available for early applicants. Apply by Sep 15, 2023 and let us know if you need a scholarship. Priority will be given to early requests.
• Students: College students can enroll free of charge. Apply with your college email to qualify.

How to apply:

To be considered for this course, email [email protected] with your answer to the following question:

Name a controversial thinker, past or present, that you don’t believe to be controversial, and explain your choice.

Schedule: Oct 2–8, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 90 pages.
Reading time: 3 hours.

1. Parallel Lives
   Plutarch, Trans. by Long & Stewart
   Volume 1, Romulus
   C. 100, 1894, George Bell & Sons
2. Discourses on Livy
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by Ninian Hill Thomson
   Book 1, Chapter 9
   1517, 1883, Kegan Paul Trench & Co
3. The Prince
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by William Marriott
   Chapters 6 and 21
   1532, 1908, E. P. Dutton
4. The Question of Machiavelli
   Isaiah Berlin
   1971, The New York Review

Schedule: Oct 9–15, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 80 pages.
Reading time: 3 hours.

1. The Power Broker
   Robert Caro
   Chapter 20
   1974, Vintage Books
2. More Than My Fair Share of It All
   Kelly Johnson
   Chapter 16
   1985, Smithsonian Books
3. Steve Jobs
   Walter Isaacson
   Chapters 24–25
   2011, Simon & Schuster

1. Young At Heart
   Frank Sinatra
   1953, Capitol Records
2. The Times They Are A-Changin’
   Bob Dylan
   1964, Columbia Records
3. Soldier, Poet, King
   The Oh Hellos
   2015, Elektra Records

Schedule: Oct 16–22, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 110 pages.
Reading time: 3.5 hours.

1. Parallel Lives
   Plutarch, Trans. by Long & Stewart
   Volume 1, Numa
   C. 100, 1894, George Bell & Sons
2. Discourses on Livy
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by Ninian Hill Thomson
   Book 1, Chapters 11–15
   1517, 1883, Kegan Paul Trench & Co
3. I See Satan Fall Like Lightning
   René Girard, Trans. by James Williams
   Introduction, and Parts 1–2, Chapters 1–8
   1999, 2001, Orbis Books

Schedule: Oct 23–29, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 140 pages.
Reading time: 4.5 hours.

1. The True Believer
   Eric Hoffer
   Part 4, Chapters 15–18
   1951, Harper & Brothers
2. Exit, Voice, and Loyalty
   Albert Hirschman
   Chapter 7
   1970, Harvard University Press
3. Private Truths, Public Lies
   Timur Kuran
   Part 4, Chapters 15–16
   1995, Harvard University Press
4. Dominion
   Tom Holland
   Preface, and Chapters 3–4
   2019, Little Brown

1. Sympathy For The Devil
   The Rolling Stones
   1968, Decca Records
2. Rasputin
   Boney M.
   1978, Hansa Records

Schedule: Oct 30–Nov 5, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 120 pages.
Reading time: 4 hours.

1. 1 Kings 3
   Jeremiah, KJV Trans.
   C. 550 BC, 1611, Robert Barker
2. Parallel Lives
   Plutarch, Trans. by Long & Stewart
   Volume 1, Lycurgus, Solon
   C. 100, 1894, George Bell & Sons
3. The Prince
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by William Marriott
   Chapters 12–13
   1532, 1908, E. P. Dutton
4. The Decline of Byzantium
   Gisèle Littman, Trans. by Kochan & Littman
   Chapters 1–3
   1991, 1996, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Schedule: Nov 6–12, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 60 pages.
Reading time: 2 hours.

1. The Spirit of the Laws
   Montesquieu, Trans. by Cohler, Miller, & Stone
   Part 6, Book 29
   1748, 1989, Cambridge University Press
2. Toward Natural Right and History
   Leo Strauss, ed. by Colen & Minkov
   Natural Right
   1946, 2018, University Of Chicago Press
3. Conspiracy
   Ryan Holiday
   Chapters 13–14
   2018, Portfolio Penguin

1. A Change Is Gonna Come
   Sam Cooke
   1964, RCA Records
2. Changes
   2Pac ft. Talent
   1998, Amaru Entertainment

Schedule: Nov 13–19, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 60 pages.
Reading time: 2 hours.

1. Parallel Lives
   Plutarch, Trans. by Long & Stewart
   Volume 3, Caesar
   C. 100, 1894, George Bell & Sons
2. Discourses on Livy
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by Ninian Hill Thomson
   Book 1, Chapter 46–48
   1517, 1883, Kegan Paul Trench & Co
3. The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
   Edward Shepherd Creasy
   Chapter 2
   1851, 2008, Dover Publications

Schedule: Nov 20–26, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 220 pages.
Reading time: 7.5 hours.

1. On War
   Carl von Clausewitz, Trans. by Howard & Paret, Ed. by Hauser
   Introduction, and Book 1, Chapter 1
   1832, 2007, Oxford University Press
2. The Great Illusion
   Norman Angell
   Part 1, Chapter 4, Part 2, Chapters 1–3, and Part 3, Chapter 1
   1910, G. P. Putnam’s & Sons
3. Battling to the End
   René Girard with Benoît Chantre, Trans. by Mary Baker
   Chapters 1, 3–4, and Epilogue
   2007, 2010, Michigan State University Press
4. AI Superpowers
   Kai-Fu Lee
   Chapter 2
   2018, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

1. Over There
   Billy Murray
   1917, Edison Records
2. Run Through The Jungle
   Creedence Clearwater Revival
   1970, Fantasy Records
3. The Watcher
   Dr. Dre
   2001, Aftermath Entertainment
4. Pale White Horse
   The Oh Hellos
   2015, Elektra Records

Schedule: Nov 27–Dec 3, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 90 pages.
Reading time: 3.5 hours.

1. The Prince
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by William Marriott
   Chapters 15–19
   1532, 1908, E. P. Dutton
2. The Theory of the Leisure Class
   Thorstein Veblen, Ed. by Martha Banta
   Introduction, and Chapters 2–3, 7, and 13
   1899, 2007, Oxford University Press
3. Profits from Power
   Frederic Lane
   Chapter 4
   1979, State University of New York Press

Schedule: Dec 4–10, 2023.
Readings: Approx. 170 pages.
Reading time: 5.5 hours.

1. Progress and Poverty
   Henry George, Ed. by Bob Drake
   Parts 4–5, Chapters 18–23
   1879, 2006, Fourth Edition, Robert Schalkenbach Foundation
2. Status Anxiety
   Alain de Botton
   Part 1, Chapters 2–4
   2004, Oxford University Press
3. The Origin of Wealth
   Eric Beinhocker
   Part 1, Chapters 1–3
   2006, Harvard Business School Press
4. The Ascent of Money
   Niall Ferguson
   Chapter 3
   2008, The Penguin Press

1. Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend
   Marilyn Monroe
   1953, 20th Century Fox
2. It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World
   James Brown
   1966, King Records
3. Juicy
   The Notorious B.I.G.
   1994, Bad Boy Records

Schedule: Dec 11–17, 2023
Readings: Approx. 40 pages.
Reading time: 1.5 hours.

1. The Histories
   Polybius, Trans. by William Paton
   Volume 3, Book 6, Fragments 1–2, 5, and 7–8
   C. 155 BC, 1923, Loeb Classical Library
2. Discourses on Livy
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by Ninian Hill Thomson
   Book 1, Chapters 17–20, and 25–27
   1517, 1883, Kegan Paul Trench & Co
3. The True Benjamin Franklin
   Sydney George Fisher
   Chapter 11
   1898, 2014, Skyhorse Publishing
4. The Age of Augustus
   Werner Eck, Trans. by Deborah Schneider
   Chapter 7
   1998, 2007, Second Edition, Blackwell Publishing

Schedule: Dec 18–23, 2023, followed by a two-week break.
Readings: Approx. 60 pages.
Reading time: 2 hours.

1. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln
   Abraham Lincoln, Ed. by Roy Basler
   Lyceum Address
   1838, 1953, Rutgers University Press
2. The American Story
   Garet Garrett
   Book 4, Chapters 6–9
   1955, Henry Regnery Company
3. A People’s Tragedy
   Orlando Figes
   Chapter 15, Part 2
   1997, 2017, The Bodley Head

1. Won’t Get Fooled Again
   The Who
   1971, Decca Records
2. If I Ruled The World
   Nas ft. Lauryn Hill
   1996, Columbia Records

Schedule: Jan 8–14, 2024.
Readings: Approx. 110 pages.
Reading time: 3.5 hours.

1. The Reasonableness of Christianity
   John Locke, Ed. by George Ewing
   Part 3, Paragraphs 61–163
   1695, 1965, Henry Regnery Company
2. Persecution and the Art of Writing
   Leo Strauss
   Chapter 2
   1941, 1952, The Free Press
3. Private Truths, Public Lies
   Timur Kuran
   Part 3, Chapters 10–11
   1995, Harvard University Press

Schedule: Jan 15–21, 2024.
Readings: Approx. 90 pages.
Reading time: 3 hours.

1. Can We Survive Technology?
   John von Neumann
   1955, Fortune Magazine
2. Two Concepts of Liberty
   Isaiah Berlin
   1958, 1969, Oxford University Press
3. Manliness
   Harvey Mansfield
   Conclusion
   2006, Yale University Press
4. The Crime of Reason
   Robert Laughlin
   Chapters 1–2
   2008, Basic Books

1. Policy of Truth
   Depeche Mode
   1990, Mute Records
2. Brave
   Sara Bareilles
   2013, Epic Records
3. Shake It Off
   Taylor Swift
   2014, Big Machine Records

Schedule: Jan 22–28, 2024.
Readings: Approx. 120 pages.
Reading time: 4 hours.

1. The Book of Revelation
   John the Apostle, KJV Trans.
   Chapter 21
   C. 95, 1611, Robert Barker
2. The Prince
   Niccolò Machiavelli, Trans. by William Marriott
   Chapter 25
   1532, 1908, E. P. Dutton
3. The New Atlantis
   Francis Bacon
   1626, 1999, Oxford University Press
4. The Religious Foundations of Francis Bacon’s Thought
   Stephen McKnight
   Chapters 1–3
   2006, University of Missouri Press

Schedule: Jan 29–Feb 4, 2024.
Readings: Approx. 50 pages.
Reading time: 2 hours.

1. Profiles of the Future
   Arthur Clarke
   Chapters 1–2
   1962, 2013, Second Edition, Gateway
2. Will Robots Inherit The Earth?
   Marvin Minsky
   1994, Scientific American
3. The Sovereign Individual
   James Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg
   Chapter 2
   1997, 2020, Touchstone

1. The Best Is Yet To Come
   Frank Sinatra
   1964, Reprise Records
2. Unwritten
   Natasha Bedingfield
   2004, Phonogenic Records