>> Yeah, I think that's something that actually pleasantly surprised me too.
I was, especially in the first weeks, overwhelmed
by how many people participated in the forums.
>> Yes.
>> And I think actually, it's something that's sort
of really great about this kind of format for a
course as compared to a university, lecture course, where
you often don't have the opportunity for as much discussion.
And so this was a really great experience for
me to get to participate in those kinds of discussions.
>> It's a good point.
I, I mean, I don't think a course like
this, as it is, would replace a university course.
There's a lot of ways in which a university course is better.
But you're pointing out a way in which this is better, actually.
I taught, I taught a version of this at Yale.
And the class wasn't a community.
The class was, was composed of students who would come in at a certain time,
and listen to lectures and go to a section and do the exams and so on.
But this is a community, these are people who get, you
know, I, I got to know people, over the course of things.
I got to be familiar with the names, I got to identify people, by
their views and by their attitudes, and, you know, I didn't agree with everybody.
And I tried, I, I, I, because, I, I tried to adopt a professorial
stance of, of jumping into correct some facts or to, or to add some things.
But not jump and say, hey, you're wrong, I there are 6 arguments why you're wrong.
Or way to go, you that's, you really, but but
without my participation, it did become a community of some cohesion.
>> Yeah.
Okay, next question comes from Igor Sulikov, Sokilov, sorry Igor,
[LAUGH] and so he asks is self binding good or bad?
So we talked about self binding a lot this
week, where we sort of anticipate, some future thing
that we might be tempted to do, and then,
you know, figure out some way to prevent ourselves
>> Yeah
>> from doing this, this bad thing.
But he points out that if you do this, you
sort of give up your ability to you know reason through
your behavior, or sort of make the right choice in the
moment, by just preventing yourself from having a choice at all.
So, is this good for sort of strengthening your character?
>> [SOUND].
>> Yeah, it, it's something which I've struggled about.
I mean, personally I have the willpower of a small child.
So, I try to make my way through the worlds rules which is self binding.
I try not to have alcohol in the house, because [INAUDIBLE] I'll drink it all.
And, and I try not to, I try to discipline myself.
I gotta exercise now.
This is time for work, I shut down my Internet, and so on.
And, and I try to do this with moral things as well.
Sort of an automatic deductions for charity, and stuff like that.
And what if there was a better person?
A person who, they felt they shouldn't drink so much,
they didn't drink so much, didn't matter what was around 'em.
Its, they didn't have to mandate times for exercise, or work, or,
or charity, because they, they just will do it at a share motivation.
Who's the better person?