Brian Solo - Shilling the Math Academy

In this solo episode of the Magic Internet Math podcast, the host discusses the current status of the Magic Internet Math website, his personal journey into math education, and his vision for teaching math as a liberal art.

Key Topics:

• Magic Internet Math website status
• Personal journey into mathematics
• Teaching math as a liberal art
• Subscriber benefits and future plans for the website
• Rudolf Steiner's influence

Summary:

The host begins by addressing his tendency to avoid promoting the Magic Internet Math website, which he has been developing for the past three months. The site currently offers a hundred free courses, games, and YouTube series, covering a wide range of subjects, including math, economics, philosophy, and literature. The courses are based on books that mean a lot to him, covering topics from calculus to abstract algebra, with a focus on making these subjects accessible to a broader audience.

The host shares his personal journey into mathematics, driven by dissatisfaction with his initial career as an actuary. He transitioned into quantitative strategy and dedicated himself to studying advanced mathematics, often facing challenges in finding suitable textbooks. He recalls his experiences at university bookstores and the early days of MIT OpenCourseware, which significantly aided his learning. Discovering Bitcoin reignited his passion for math, leading him to delve into cryptography and abstract algebra. This journey motivated him to explore different abstract algebra books and eventually incorporate this knowledge into teaching, especially after his daughter became a math major.

His disappointment with people's attitudes toward math, viewing it as a means to an end rather than an enriching subject, propelled him to think deeply about how to teach math effectively. He was influenced by the Waldorf school system and Rudolf Steiner's teachings, which emphasize a holistic approach to education. This philosophy has inspired the creation of unique content on the website, blending math with liberal arts, and offering a different perspective on how math is taught and understood.

The host also discusses the subscriber benefits of the Magic Internet Math website, priced at $5 a month or $50 a year, with a limited number of lifetime subscriptions available for those closely connected to him. The subscription model aims to support the site's maintenance and development, including hiring a dedicated developer. Subscriber-only content includes a basic high school algebra class, framed as a Greek heroic epic, and a study guide called "The Four Proofs," which explores the different approaches to mathematical proofs by Euclid, Gauss, Steiner, and Satoshi.

Looking forward, the host plans to create more original content that combines various topics and ideas, grounded in the philosophy of Steiner and focused on how we know what we know. He envisions lectures and classes that delve deeper into these concepts, accessible to subscribers and lifetime members. He emphasizes that supporting the website is about supporting a different approach to math education and ensuring its continued existence for future learners. The host concludes by saying that he's not asking for charity and truly believes the website provides value for anyone interested in mathematics.