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Floating University

How Free Are You, Really?

In his Floating University lecture, Dr. Nicholas Christakis explains why individual actions are inextricably linked to sociological pressures.
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Dr. Nicholas Christakis is known for his research on the social factors that affect health, health care, and longevity. 

In his lecture “If You’re So Free, Why Do You Follow Others? The Sociology and Science Behind Social Networks,” part of Floating University’s Great Big Ideas course, Christakis explains why individual actions are inextricably linked to sociological pressures. Whether you’re absorbing altruism performed by someone you’ll never meet or deciding to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, collective phenomena affect every aspect of your life.

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In his Floating University lecture, Dr. Jeffrey Brenzel shows how our intellectual history is the story of rediscovering old ideas, and how these ideas will help you address permanent aspects of the human condition.

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