I made $75,000 in 3 years teaching philosophy online.
I am writing this article for three reasons: 1) to thank everyone who made this journey possible. I couldn’t have possibly done this without the continuous support of those who took or shared my courses. This May marks the third anniversary since I first launched my online courses. 2) To reflect on what I learned, and what I think I will be focusing on from here onward. 3) To announce a new workshop, Philosophy for Professionals: Asking Questions, Dealing with Uncertainty, Exploring Moral Dilemmas.
Three years ago, I launched my first online philosophy course ever. I still find it difficult to grasp. Whenever someone enrolls in one of my courses, I experience a mix of appreciation and surprise. It astonishes me that there are individuals out there, whether they know me or not, who willingly choose to invest their money in philosophy, let alone the philosophy courses I offer. So a big thank you to anyone out there who enrolled in my courses!
I have already written about my journey elsewhere, so I won’t dwell much on it here. I do want to stress one thing, though. I never thought I would ever end up doing something like that, let alone three years in. It was simply a strike of luck. The first course I launched was during the pandemic lockdown. It was Existentialism in Literature. It most definitely struck a chord and resonated with people on Twitter. That’s why they decided to sign up.
I did not launch the course with a business in mind. I had no website, zero marketing skills, no particular strategy to find new leads, and zero design skills, and I had not addressed professionals before. My client base was always university students.
Needless to say, I approached the course with an academic mindset. I wanted to follow the syllabus, dig deeper into what this or that philosopher said, establish the proper context to explain the circumstances that gave rise to the existentialist movement.
To do that I wanted to start with the precursors of existentialism going all the way back to Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. It all made sense in my mind. That’s what a rigorous syllabus looked like, after all.
Yet, I obviously failed to take into account that those who signed up were professionals who were any or all of the following: 1) bored because of the lockdown and needed a space to meet new people, 2) vaguely interested in philosophy but couldn’t care less about the minute details, 3) simply trying to support me.
The course was 9 weeks long, and we met twice a week. I simply copied the university model and applied it as is to the real world. I noticed that the course was too long for people to commit to it and that the material was too abstract, despite my efforts to make it less so.
I wanted to bring philosophy to the marketplace, but it took me some time to have an idea of what that meant. Course in and course out I would iterate, tweak, improve, and adapt the material to my audience. It was not easy for me to do so because it included a lot of unlearning.
Teaching philosophy can be challenging, and the approach may vary depending on the audience. If you're teaching individuals who have a genuine passion for the subject and are eager to delve into the works of specific philosophers, the teaching method should differ from when you're addressing professionals who seek practical applications within their field of work.
Over the past three years, I unlearned and learned a lot. I have learned how to adapt the material to different audiences, how to incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach to the subject matter, and have grown personally by learning from those who signed up for my courses, and the co-teachers who were more specialized in the topics I asked them to give a course on.
The result of this journey, this quest, is a new program that I have put together: Philosophy for Professionals: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and Exploring Moral Dilemmas.
While philosophy may not always be characterized as practical and useful, it offers a unique approach to problem-solving.
This workshop is a distillation of introduction to philosophy and ethics. Instead of going over the particular arguments of Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, and John Stuart Mill amongst others, we will instead look at the framework that helped these different thinkers address particular problems.
We will start by examining the art of inquiry following the framework developed by Socrates, who preferred to engage in a dialogue with others by asking them questions to dissect and understand the issue at hand. We will then explore how the Stoics handled and navigated uncertainty by focusing on what they could control. And last but not least we will discuss the analytical framework of three different moral theories and how they can apply to moral dilemmas that may arise in your work or personal spheres.
If you are a professional with no prior knowledge of philosophy, and you’re seeking a new lens to approach various issues and problems that emerge in your work and personal spheres, then this course is for you.
This course serves as a broad introduction to three central aspects of philosophy delivered over three engaging and highly interactive sessions, incorporating a blend of lectures and discussions.
The sessions & learning objectives are as follows:
The Art of Critical Inquiry: Learn to recognize the significance of asking the right questions, guided by the framework of Socrates.
Navigating Uncertainty with Stoic Principles: Explore the Stoic mindset and discover principles that can help you effectively navigate uncertainty in your personal and professional life.
Introduction to Moral Reasoning: Gain a foundational understanding of various moral reasoning theories, including virtue ethics, the theory of duty, and consequence-based analysis.
The primary goal of philosophy extends beyond providing simple answers; it involves fostering critical thinking by examining a specific set of questions that allow us to frame issues in increasingly nuanced and complex ways.
What value will this course offer you, and why should you care about asking questions, navigating uncertainty, and ethical decision-making?
Let me begin with a powerful quote:
"Questioning is an exceptionally potent tool for unlocking value in organizations. It fosters learning, idea exchange, innovation, and performance improvement. Moreover, it builds rapport and trust among team members and can help identify unforeseen pitfalls and hazards, thus mitigating business risks." - Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John
In this course, our focus will not be limited to a fixed set of answers, as they often fail to prompt action. Instead, you will be introduced to fundamental tools rooted in philosophy. These tools will enable you to approach your problems from a different perspective, equip you with mental models to navigate uncertainty, and provide you with basic ethical frameworks to tackle moral dilemmas that may arise in your work or personal life.
However, it's important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for addressing such complex issues. Therefore, this course aims to create a supportive environment and equip you with essential tools to tackle the challenges you encounter using a fresh and philosophical lens.
"The journey towards improved decision-making starts with questioning one's own beliefs, biases, and assumptions. This practice is often neglected and certainly not easy to undertake." - The Book of Beautiful Questions, Warren Berger
Are you ready to embark on a philosophical quest that is more than just dwelling on abstract concepts?
Sign up today.
You can find me on Twitter @decafquest.
Personal website.