Green Shoots in the Humanities

By nearly every measure that can be reasonably assembled—undergraduate majors, tenure-track hires, departmental budgets, public attention—the humanities in the United States have been contracting for more than a decade. Philosophy departments, classics programs, and literature faculties have borne the brunt of this contraction, and the story has become familiar enough that it risks curdling into fatalism. Against that backdrop, it is worth paying attention when something grows.

Meleteon is one of those exceptions that is worth highlighting on the APA Blog. It is an online learning platform on which PhD-verified scholars teach live humanities courses—history, classics, theology, literature, philosophy—to adult learners who come to the material on their own time and for their own reasons. The name itself is revealing: it evokes the Greek word μελέτη (meletē), meaning care, attention, sustained practice—a word that runs through ancient philosophy from the Stoics to the modern understanding of philosophy as a way of life. The choice also reflects a philosophical stance: that the humanities are not primarily credentials to be earned but disciplines to be practiced.

What is interesting about Meleteon—and what makes it worth profiling in this series—is that it sits at the intersection of two forces the Philosophy and Technology series has been circling for years. On one hand, the academic humanities are struggling for institutional oxygen. On the other, digital platforms have matured to the point where a scholar with no institutional affiliation can convene a small, serious seminar of adult readers anywhere in the world—and be paid to do so. Whether that combination represents a genuine alternative to the university humanities or a modest complement to them is an open question. At a minimum, Meleteon is one of the more thoughtful attempts to find out.

In this month’s piece, I have a short Q&A with founder Ashher Masood on the genesis of Meleteon and his vision for the platform.

Question 1. Genesis. How did Meleteon begin?

I am interested in the personal and intellectual origin story—the moment, conversation, or frustration that made you think: this is worth building. Who were the founders’ earliest teachers or readings that shaped the idea, and what, if anything, did you see in the humanities landscape that led you to execute on the concept?

Masood 

I should first thank you, Charles, for giving me this opportunity to discuss Meleteon with a broader audience. The idea of Meleteon came about a few years ago, when I started realizing that I might not have a job once I finished my doctorate. I started my Ph.D. at Yale in 2019, and after all the ups and downs of a typical Ph.D. journey, my hope was that there would be a job waiting for me at its end. But a few years ago, I began accepting, at some level, the possibility that there would not be any jobs for me in academia. I saw frequent complaints about shrinking departments and hiring freezes as a call to action. Career alternatives do exist, and I was beginning to accept the possibility that I would end up in corporate, which would be necessary to support my family (three exceptional kids and an incredibly supportive wife who is a constant thinking partner through all of this). But then what to do with all the learning? What to do with all the graduates who may not have an easy path towards an alternative career? What to do with all the students at these universities where funding cuts mean no more courses on topics in ancient history, philosophy, or religious studies? Meleteon was born: a platform that would connect these two parties, teachers and students—and in a live format. 

Plenty of great online learning platforms exist, but they are mostly catered towards individuals seeking to advance tech and finance careers. Meleteon is humanities-only, and it is for the most part live (time zones tend to complicate things)—a format I feel fits best with humanities education in general. If you are learning Persian, reading through an Ethiopic text, or discussing the interpretation of a line of poetry, that back-and-forth with the teacher and fellow classmates is everything. The live format also gives you a glimpse into the minds of the experts who are teaching you the material, and how they bring years of research and study to bear on any particular question. 

I have very fond memories of exciting and engaging seminars with my professors—Shawkat Toorawa, Kevin van Bladel, Maria Doerfler, Jimmy Daccache, Travis Zadeh, Frank Griffel, just to name some—in which we would have lively debate on the meaning of a particular word, who the subject in a particularly crucial line of complex Arabic prose was, and how a pre-modern scholar understood, incorporated, and enhanced concepts from Antiquity. This process of interpretation, debate, and learning really does wonders for the mind, and is a hallmark of humanities education; if ever universities made the mistake of disregarding the essential subjects that make up the humanities, Meleteon would always be there to provide them that space. 

Question 2. Goals and Ultimate Vision. What are you trying to build, and what does success look like five or ten years from now?

I want to give the philosophical community a sense of scale and ambition. Is Meleteon a boutique—a small number of seminars taught extraordinarily well—or a platform on which hundreds of scholars eventually teach? Do you see Meleteon as an adjunct to the university humanities, a complement to them, or something closer to an alternative? And how do you think about the relationship between commercial success and intellectual quality, which is a complicated question for the humanities?

Masood 

The best place to study the humanities is at a university that genuinely cares about them. Live classes, aid, community, and mentorship over the course of several years are what, to my mind, would really be the best possible situation for any discipline in the humanities. Meleteon is not meant to replace that, but simply to fill in gaps caused by funding decisions. What this means is that a student who wants to take a course on a subject their university does not offer, and is not too worried about getting credit for that course, can take it on Meleteon with someone qualified. 

For a Ph.D. candidate running low on funds or about to enter the job market, Meleteon offers them the opportunity to make money while also gaining useful experience as a teacher, something they can point to in their job applications. For PhDs who did not land jobs in academia but who still want to teach, Meleteon gives them a platform to offer instruction on subjects those PhDs have spent years mastering. For the professional who, for the sake of job prospects, did not major in Near Eastern Studies but instead majored in computer science, Meleteon provides them the ability to take the courses they were once so passionate about without having to re-enroll or spend thousands. It might also offer them a different perspective or useful training when it comes to AI or their own careers. Finally, for the lifelong learner who wants to become more well-rounded, who wants to learn about ancient wisdoms or get a better understanding of world events, Meleteon is there to satisfy their curiosity. So, in the short term, I want Meleteon to be the place where research necessity, skills-building, and general curiosity all can flourish. 

We are also actively developing partnerships with other learning platforms that teach courses on ancient languages and texts, something I think points to the health of the online learning space. We are currently partnered with The Epigraphic Institute, led by Professor Ahmed Al-Jallad at OSU. His status as a pioneering scholar in the field along with reputation for being an incredibly teacher, especially of subjects rarely taught outside a handful of institutions, is a huge draw. Other institutions have expressed interest in partnering with Meleteon and I look forward to many fruitful collaborations.

My hope for Meleteon in 5-10 years is that it is the go-to place for anyone in the above-mentioned categories, and that it is a platform with a reputation for providing both quantity and quality when it comes to subjects in the humanities. It would have a broad range of courses across all humanities disciplines, especially courses that would not be taught even at wealthy universities due to expert shortages (certain languages, for example). I also look forward to increasing partnerships, either with other learning platforms and schools or with larger universities that may want to provide a suitable pathway for students to learn courses they do not currently offer. 

Question 3. The Business Model. How does Meleteon actually work, economically?

I will admit a professional bias here, having spent my career in the corporate world, where a well-constructed business model is essential. For the benefit of readers who want to understand whether this is a durable enterprise—and for prospective instructors who may be considering teaching through the platform—I would welcome your take on the economic potential. Useful ground to cover would include: the revenue model (subscription, per-course, tuition split), how instructors are compensated and selected, typical seminar size and pricing, how you acquire students, and what you think the unit economics will look like at scale. If there are aspects of the model you regard as distinctive, please expand—such as a different take-rate than competing platforms, unusual instructor protections, or unique pedagogical choices with economic consequences.

Masood 

The current split on Meleteon is 85/12/3. 85% of all tuition goes to the instructor (of course, after we take into account processing fees). The remaining 15% is split between the platform, which takes 12%, and something called the “Community Fund,” which receives 3%. I think we have to understand that sometimes studying the humanities is a privilege, one that only some people can afford comfortably. Many others, for whatever reason, simply cannot afford to set money aside to study a subject that may not have any direct impact on their financial growth. Requests for “free accommodation” tend to leave the teacher with two bad options: guilt if they decline, or undue personal sacrifice if they agree. Meleteon’s solution is to take a portion of what the platform makes and put it into a fund that lets students take courses while ensuring the teacher still gets paid. Contributions to the fund are always welcome, but this 3% is a built-in feature that guarantees at least some money is always present to give students the aid they need without having teachers pay the cost. 

Partnerships represent a second revenue stream for Meleteon. Partners pay a $100 monthly fee for full access to the platform’s features, and gain exposure to an audience drawn by prominent academics across disciplines. The presence of these scholars, as both teachers and students, underscores the platform’s credibility and its commitment to education.

As of now, the only people whose applications are accepted to teach on Meleteon are those who are either Ph.D candidates (or sufficiently along their academic journey when no such category exists) and PhDs. This is a signal to any universities or interested parties that Meleteon’s teachers hold the same qualifications as those one would expect to learn from in a university setting. These teachers can have small seminars or lead larger lectures; it is up to them. In the future, a TA option will be implemented that allows students in large lectures the opportunity to sit down with a TA for more concentrated discussion. TAs would be PhD students who have not yet reached candidacy, or MA graduates. 

Question 4. Capital. How is Meleteon funded today, and what are your plans for capital formation going forward?

Readers of this blog are not investors, but they are interested in the institutional health of enterprises that serve the humanities. Have the founders self-funded from friends and family, angels, or institutional venture capital? Are you bootstrapped on revenue? Are you pursuing nonprofit or foundation support, which has long been central to the humanities ecosystem? And looking forward over the next few years, what is the capital plan? I’m curious as I have been in financial services for over 40 years, but, also, answers will help readers evaluate the longevity of the project, which matters for anyone considering teaching or learning through the platform.

Masood 

Most of Meleteon’s funding comes from self-funding, as well as some help from my friends and family (I am fortunate to have generous friends. In fact, a radiologist friend and another business executive friend each contributed over a $1,000 towards the community fund to facilitate scholarships). This was a project I was working on in between dissertation-writing downtime, before I had to wake the kids up for school, and after everyone fell asleep. I have a very specific mission with the platform, and despite my own reservations, I may at some point require investors with deeper pockets. For now, a course that does not achieve a minimum enrollment (set by the teacher) automatically gets cancelled. In the future, I would hope the platform has enough to sustain such courses. The Community Fund, which is primarily a source of financial aid for students, I hope will also eventually provide awards to teachers who put in the extra effort and receive excellent student ratings. These concerns have led me to pitch the idea to investors, both wealthy individuals and venture funds, resulting in conversations that are promising and ongoing. 

Question 5. A Message to the Philosophical Community. What would you like professional philosophers, graduate students, and serious lay readers of philosophy to know about Meleteon?

This is the open question of the interview, to provide you with the chance to connect with our community. If there is an invitation you want to extend—to teach, to enroll, to collaborate, to critique—this is the place. Feel free to correct any misconception about the platform or the category of “online humanities.” I would also welcome your reflections on what you think the philosophical community, in particular, has to gain from Meleteon—and, honestly, what it might have to lose, or to be wary of, as platforms of this kind grow.

Masood 

I had a friend going through a difficult period in his personal life. He decided to change his group of friends, his sleep schedule, and his overall habits. This meant reading more, and, if he was going to consume social media, it would be from accounts that promised positive learning outcomes or motivation. Every now and then he would post a video he saw on Instagram or YouTube with motivational music in the background, a dramatic image of a knight in armor, and a quote from a philosopher or ancient thinker. What was awkward was that the quote was sometimes either incorrectly attributed or just totally taken out of context. Regardless, however, these ancient aphorisms and acknowledgements of contemporary stages of life by authors who lived thousands of years ago really seemed to work, not just for my friend but for a lot of other people. I do not think it is a leap when I say people want more, and they want alternatives to the daily scrolling and mundane conversations. Whatever your opinion of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, it undoubtedly drew considerable attention to an ancient epic and kindled conversations across many social platforms. Film and music have this amazing potential to ignite serious interest in history, philosophy, science, and more. When someone leaves the theater wondering “how can I learn more?” Meleteon is there. I ask your audience to keep their eyes peeled for future courses that are in the works (Stoicism, the philosophy of happiness, philosophy in the Islamic world, and more!) as well as to our upcoming week-long intensive “Schools” aimed at bringing world-class faculty to teach intensive courses twice a year (summer and winter). The hope is that several disciplines are represented in these schools so that we have something like a “Winter School in Islamic Studies” and a “Summer School in Philosophy” that would teach content courses and languages. 

Ashher, thanks so much for the comprehensive history and framework for the future. In our challenging, dynamic world, I’m hopeful you have found a valuable formula! Indeed, one that reaches more people with modern tools, enriching lives with learning. Best of luck!