Fathom: Learn Philosophy

First of all, this review is long overdue. I have been learning in Fathom for 213 days and I’m not sure where I would be right now without it. It’s been worth the very modest subscription fee many times over. Over the past few years, my worldview started to feel like it was crumbling around me, and this app has given me much needed exposure to new ideas and wisdom when things stopped making sense. I wanted a bird’s eye view on the entire field of philosophy and this was exactly what I was looking for. Short, accessible lessons with mini quizzes to help retain information, and a screenshottable infographic summary at the end I can add to my daily journal app along with my thoughts on the lesson (I use Day One, highly recommend). I was traveling recently and missed a day, and when it didn’t automatically use my Streak Freeze I reached out for support to see if I needed to do anything. Kind, quick response, even though they are a very small team. They let me know that it was a glitch on their end and would try to repair it. A couple days later I had my streak back and two new streak freezes to use. The streak is just a number, and I would have still written this review even if it couldn’t be fixed. The fact is that these people have created something that has had a deep and lasting impact on me and I am forever grateful.

Fathom is my new favorite app. I’ve always been a deep thinker. In college I took philosophy classes and loved discussion sections but always struggled to get past some of dense wall of text in readings. My gpa anxiety prevented me from truly enjoying it. Fathom fixes this and scratches the intellectual itch for me. It’s like a choose your own adventure where you can explore ideas across a wide range of philosophies. I’ve found myself going deep into questions that you really need to sit with. Then found myself being more confident and on point at work. Maybe I can finally finish my philosophy minor!

Using this app makes me feel like I am back in college exploring big ideas again. I can feel my mind getting sharper and I am already approaching life problems differently. The app is also just straight up beautiful. It brings a bit of joy for those random pockets of time that come up everyday. I highly recommend this app!