Profile PictureMahmoud Rasmi

August 2022 | Cosmology | Online Synchronous Course | 35 Spots | 7:00 pm CET

$200
1 rating

Cosmology

The copy for this course follows a good cop bad cop dynamic. That's because while I think about what we do as entertainment, Philippe, who is trained in theoretical physics & philosophy and is going to teach this course, prefers a more serious-sounding description.

So, if you want to know exactly what this course is about, please scroll to the course description below.

If you're on the fence about it, then let me tell you this. Long story short, no one knows what cosmology is. Not even the cosmologists themselves. Is it helpful? I doubt. Much like philosophy, the field is useless. At best, you can brag to your friends that you now know what the horizon problem is or inflationary theory. The easy punchline here is that if your friends are economists or cosmologists, both will think you know what you're talking about.

If you have no friends, then don't worry, you'll learn how to become a bridge dweller by signing up.

Is there any utility for this course? Trust me, you're better off signing up for a Google certificate instead and sharing it on LinkedIn or something.

Will you learn how to read tarot to know how to become rich? At best you'll be $200 poorer. We'll be $200 dollars richer. So not unless you can spare $200 to spend on a seemingly useless course, I don't recommend you register for it. Thank you.

There's a link to some testimonials by people who already signed up for one or more of our courses!

All lectures will be recorded and shared with the registrants.

Course Description

The development of physical cosmology shines a new light on some of the biggest (and oldest) philosophical questions. Did the universe have a beginning? If so, what was its nature? Is the universe unique? How has it come about that the Universe permits the existence and evolution of intelligent beings at any time or place?

This course is about our attempts at understanding the Universe. It surveys a variety of topics in mythology, philosophy, and science from the ancients to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Discussions will mainly revolve around four themes:

  • The concept of Universe from creation myths to the Copernican revolution.
  • General relativity and the standard Hot Big Bang model.
  • Our place in the universe: fine-tuning and anthropic reasoning.
  • The origin of the universe and the limits of science.

If you don't like what we do, I'll give you a full refund.

I mean I'd say no questions asked, but it would be too late because that's mainly what I will be doing. Ask questions.

Who we are:

I've been giving these online courses since June 2020. To date, I've had over 700 participants from around the world. If you want to read a detailed review of what the courses are like, check out what Anthony Smyrski wrote in one of his newsletter dispatches at the following link.

At first, I was using my own website to process the payments. But since I switched exclusively to Gumroad, that's exactly how much we made thus far:

Thank you!

Website: 

https://decafquest.com/

Instructor:

The course will be taught by:

  • Philippe Caponis (@philippecaponis): Philippe holds an MS in Physics and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Paris. He taught philosophy at the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University. He is interested in better understanding how scientific theories illuminate (and often reshape) philosophical debates about the nature of space and time, identity and material constitution.

Here’s a talk by Philippe titled: Three Philosophical Lessons from Modern Physics:

https://youtu.be/ec9X6YQfvnE

While I will join the sessions just to ask questions and make sure no one is asleep.

  • Mahmoud Rasmi (@decafquest): finished his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Salamanca Spain. Between 2013 and 2020, he taught philosophy and cultural studies at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University. Now, he has decided to venture into the virtual world in order to give affordable classes online to people who are interested in studying philosophy in a non-academic setting. 

Here’s a sample class on Stoicism from an Introduction to Philosophy online course:

https://youtu.be/lWcM43dF_fs

Dates and Schedule:

  • 4 weeks, once a week, 2 hrs per session.
  • The course will start on Tuesday, August 9, and will end on Tuesday, August 30, 2022.
  • Course Schedule: Tuesdays at 7:00 pm CET time (Central European Time).
  • Synchronous online course via Zoom.
  • Asynchronous: if you can't attend, you will have the option to watch the recorded lectures. 
  • Price: USD200$
  • Capacity: 35 seats

Important information:

You will receive the link to the sessions a few days before the course starts. 

Since we are not an institution, you will not be able to claim credits for the course. Many of you might also already be busy with your jobs and daily routine; as a result, we won’t be assigning any homework, exams, or papers. However, if any of you wishes to be assessed on the course material covered, we can arrange for the proper method and format in private.

The sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the DecafQuest YouTube channel as hidden. The links will be made available to those registered.

Testimonials:


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$200

August 2022 | Cosmology | Online Synchronous Course | 35 Spots | 7:00 pm CET

1 rating