The ModernEncyclopedia Est. 2026 · A living curriculum · Regularly updated
The curriculum for the AI era

Everything worth knowing — as prompts you paste to learn.

The Enlightenment's great encyclopedia gave its readers the answers. This one gives learners the questions — because now everyone arrives with a tutor already in their pocket. Pick a subject, set your level, and copy a ready-made prompt into any AI to study it properly.

Free education, all the way to degree level — no fees, no entry requirements. You bring only the AI. This is what democratising learning can look like.

Step 01
Choose a subject
From philosophy to frontier AI — every field on the map is a node.
Step 02
Set the dials
Level, which of the twelve prompts, and how you want to be taught.
Step 03
Copy & paste
One prompt, ready for Claude, ChatGPT, or any capable AI.
“My questions are the most valuable IP to me. The answers are a commodity.”
Jensen Huang · NVIDIA · 2026

That is the whole idea here. Answers are cheap now — any AI will hand you one. The scarce, valuable thing is knowing what to ask, and knowing enough to ask well. Curious, knowledgeable people use AI like a lever: the more you understand, the more it multiplies what you can do. ModernEncy exists to hand everyone that lever — free forever — and turn learners into genuine AI power-users.

§01

The Library

53 subjects · six faculties · open any one

Each node is a complete little school for one subject, and opens to its own page with the full twelve-prompt treatment. Filter by faculty, then open a node — or jump straight to the quick generator below.

Faculty
PHI-5Humanities
Philosophy
Presocratics to the ethics of AI

Logic, ethics, mind, and the great debates — how to think, not just what to think.

FlagshipSocratic
Open full page →
CLA-6Humanities
Classics
Homer to the Herculaneum scrolls

The languages, literature, history and afterlife of Greece and Rome.

FlagshipLanguages
Open full page →
HIS-7Humanities
History
Prehistory to the present

Every period and region, plus the historian's craft of weighing evidence.

Flagship
Open full page →
ENG-8Humanities
English
Literature & language

Beowulf to the digital novel, plus how the language itself works.

Flagship
Open full page →
GEO-9Humanities
Geography
The planet & the human world

Physical systems, human geography and the geographer's toolkit.

Flagship
Open full page →
AIM-32Science
AI & Machine Learning
Turing to transformers

How modern AI works — taught, fittingly, by an instance of the subject.

FlagshipTechnical
Open full page →
FND-0Foundations
Foundations
The modern trivium

Critical thinking, AI literacy and learning how to learn — the base for everything else.

SkillsStart here
Open full page →
ECO-15Soc. Sci.
Economics
Micro, macro & the global economy

Scarcity, markets, money and the great arguments about all three.

Open full page →
POL-16Soc. Sci.
Politics & IR
Theory, systems & world order

Ideologies, the British constitution, and how nations deal with nations.

Open full page →
PSY-19Soc. Sci.
Psychology
The science of mind & behaviour

Memory, the brain, the classic studies and their modern reassessment.

Open full page →
LAW-17Soc. Sci.
Law
How law actually works

Jurisprudence, the core subjects, and reasoning like a lawyer.

Open full page →
SOC-18Soc. Sci.
Sociology
Seeing the social world

Theory, method, class, and the sociological imagination.

Open full page →
MAT-24Science
Mathematics
Proof, algebra, analysis

From what a proof is to the frontiers — every result derived, not just stated.

Technical
Open full page →
PHY-25Science
Physics
Mechanics to cosmology

Classical and modern physics, with the interpretations kept honestly open.

Technical
Open full page →
CHE-26Science
Chemistry
Atoms to synthesis

Physical, organic and inorganic chemistry, taught for understanding.

Technical
Open full page →
BIO-27Science
Biology
Molecules to ecosystems

From DNA to evolution to the whole living world.

Technical
Open full page →
NEU-28Science
Neuroscience
The brain & the mind

Neurons to consciousness — the most disciplined bridge to AI.

Technical
Open full page →
CSC-31Science
Computer Science
Computation to software

Algorithms, theory and systems — with code that actually runs.

Technical
Open full page →
DAT-33Science
Data Science
Statistics & inference

Reading data honestly — every number with its caveat.

Technical
Open full page →
AST-30Science
Astronomy
The sky & deep space

Stars, galaxies, cosmology and the search for life.

Technical
Open full page →
EAR-29Science
Earth Science
The planet in deep time

Geology, oceans, atmosphere and the settled science of climate.

Technical
Open full page →
MDC-36Profession
Medicine & Health
How doctors think

The science and reasoning of medicine — never a substitute for a clinician.

Boundary
Open full page →
EGR-35Profession
Engineering
Design under constraint

The disciplines and the trade-off thinking that defines the field.

Open full page →
BUS-20Profession
Business
Strategy to the balance sheet

How firms create value, and how to decide when there's no clean answer.

Open full page →
EDU-21Profession
Education
The science of learning

What actually works in teaching — and the myths that don't.

Open full page →
DES-40Profession
Design
Thinking by making

Design thinking and craft across the disciplines, taught studio-style.

Open full page →
ABE-38Profession
Architecture
The built environment

Design, history, structures and the shaping of cities.

Open full page →
AGR-39Profession
Agriculture & Food
Feeding the world

The science of growing, food systems and the future of farming.

Open full page →
LAN-10Humanities
Modern Languages
Learn to actually speak

Any major language, with the AI as a tireless conversation partner.

Conversation mode
Open full page →
REL-11Humanities
Religion & Belief
The traditions & the questions

World religions and the philosophy of religion, told fairly.

Open full page →
ART-12Humanities
Art History
How to look

Eras, movements and visual culture — the prompt sends you to the real thing.

Open full page →
PER-13Humanities
Performing Arts
Music, drama & dance

How music works, the actor's craft, and the practice loop.

Open full page →
MED-23Humanities
Media & Journalism
Reading the information age

Media theory, journalism, and the platforms shaping what you see.

Open full page →
HOR-1Horizon
Frontier AI
The leading edge

Scaling, agents, AGI debates and safety — searched fresh each time.

HorizonSearch-first
Open full page →
HOR-3Horizon
Biotech & Synthetic Biology
Engineering life

CRISPR, mRNA and synthetic biology — the science, ethics and governance.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-7Horizon
Energy Transition
Rewiring the world

Renewables, storage, nuclear and fusion — the century's defining project.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-5Horizon
Neurotechnology
Reading & writing the brain

Brain–computer interfaces, neural implants and the fight for mental privacy.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-6Horizon
Space Economy
Beyond Earth

Reusable launch, constellations, the Moon and Mars, and space law.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-16Horizon
Futures & Foresight
Thinking about what's next

Scenario planning, forecasting and long-term risk — the capstone node.

HorizonCapstone
Open full page →
ARC-14Humanities
Archaeology & Anthropology
Digging up the human story

How we reconstruct the human past and make sense of human cultures — from potsherds to kinship.

Open full page →
CRM-22Soc. Sci.
Criminology
Crime, justice & punishment

Why crime happens, how societies respond, and whether justice systems actually work.

Open full page →
SEC-34Science
Cybersecurity
Defending the digital world

How systems are attacked and defended — cryptography, threats and the human factor, taught defensively.

TechnicalBoundary
Open full page →
AHP-37Profession
Allied Health & Care
The wider healthcare team

Nursing, pharmacy, the therapies and the professions that keep healthcare running — as subjects, never a substitute for a clinician.

Boundary
Open full page →
HOR-2Horizon
Quantum Technologies
Computing with the counterintuitive

Quantum computing, communication and sensing — the strange physics moving from lab to industry.

HorizonTechnical
Open full page →
HOR-4Horizon
Longevity & Enhancement
Extending healthy life

The science of ageing, regenerative medicine, and the ethics of enhancing the human body and mind.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-8Horizon
Climate Tech & Earth Systems
Engineering a liveable planet

Adaptation, carbon removal, the circular economy and the fierce debates around geoengineering.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-9Horizon
Advanced Materials & Nanotech
Building matter to order

Graphene, metamaterials, 3D printing and self-assembling systems — engineering at the smallest scales.

HorizonTechnical
Open full page →
HOR-10Horizon
Robotics & Autonomy
Machines that act in the world

Humanoids, drones, autonomous vehicles and the messy business of robots sharing our spaces.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-11Horizon
Spatial Computing & XR
Computing you step inside

VR, AR and mixed reality, digital twins, and the open question of what the metaverse is really for.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-12Horizon
Web3 & Decentralised Systems
Trust without a middleman

Blockchains, tokens, smart contracts and CBDCs — with the critiques and risks given equal weight.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-13Horizon
Semiconductors & Advanced Computing
The engines of the AI age

Chip design and fabrication geopolitics, plus neuromorphic, photonic and edge computing beyond the transistor.

HorizonTechnical
Open full page →
HOR-14Horizon
Information Integrity & Cyber-Conflict
Truth in the synthetic age

Deepfakes, information warfare and digital sovereignty — defending a shared reality, taught defensively.

Horizon
Open full page →
HOR-15Horizon
Ocean & Polar Frontiers
Earth's last unexplored places

The deep sea, the poles and the blue economy — the science, the resources and the debates over exploiting them.

Horizon
Open full page →
§02

Quick generator

Defaults are sensible — change only what you like

Generate a ready-to-paste prompt for any subject without leaving this page.

Prompt settings
Subject *
Pick any subject and generate instantly — or open its full page from the Library above.
Which prompt
Your first contact with a topic, pitched exactly at your level.
Level
How deep to pitch it — from a curious start to full university depth.
Topic — optional, narrows the focus
Study time — used by the syllabus builder
British English
Keeps spelling and exam framing UK-style. Turn off for US spelling.
§03

Why trust the prompts

Seventeen rules, working in any AI

Every prompt is built to a Quality Charter: real sources only, both sides of every debate steelmanned, honest exam marking, and a Socratic spine that builds your understanding rather than dependence on the machine. Read the Charter →

§04

Free forever

No ads, no paywalls — kept going by readers

ModernEncy is free, and it will stay free: no advertising, ever, and nothing to log into. Two ways to help it grow:

§ Free forever

ModernEncy is free forever — no ads, no paywalls, no sign-up. Like the Encyclopédie of 1751, it runs on its readers. If it's helped you, drop something in the tip jar.

The Enlightenment gave its readers the answers. The ModernEncyclopedia gives learners the questions — and the tutor to pursue them, whatever comes over the horizon.

The curriculum is free. The tutor is yours.