I Will Respond to Your Comments Here
A new premium Bet On It feature
I almost never respond to reader comments. Indeed, I very rarely read them.
Why don’t I respond? Because the opportunity cost is so high.
Why don’t I read them? Because my personality is too obsessive. If I read, I’ll be distracted until I respond.
Still, I totally empathize with readers who wish I would change.
So I’m creating the experimental post now before you.
This special post is readable by all subscribers, but with comments only writable by premium subscribers. This keeps the volume manageable, and gives readers a way to credibly signal the intensity of their curiosity.
The heart of the experiment is that I promise to:
Read these comments.
Respond to many of them.
Turn exceptionally thoughtful comments into full-fledged posts.
What should you write in the comments? Any of the following:
Repost your comments on recent posts.
Write new comments on recent posts.
Ask lingering questions about less-recent posts.
Ask Me Anything.
If the experiment goes well, I’ll make it a regular Bet On It feature. Hope you like it!
To repeat, you must go premium to comment (for this post - and possibly future posts in this series - only).
Hi Bryan,
I know I have posted quite a few questions, but I wonder whether I could still ask you for some career advice.
You have frequently said that you have a dream job and I have no doubt it's true. Do you have any advice for men in their late 20s who are similar to you in terms of personality and intelligence? Is a PhD program the only way? Pursuing a broad-based intellectual life full-time outside academia appears to be difficult, especially for someone from a third-world country.
Thanks,
Zixuan “Eric” Ma
Hi Bryan,
It's been 12 years since Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids was published. It's a wonderful book. Are there any major points you have since learned that you would want to add to the book? Do you intend to publish a second edition?
Thanks,
Zixuan “Eric” Ma