What Should We Do?

I was a teenager when the question ‘What Should We Do?’ first struck me with its force.  The question seemed broad and important, yet rarely directly addressed.  There seemed to be great potential to use reason to make better personal and political choices. 

Books and Ideas

I haven’t grown out of my teenage view and have been reading and thinking on a quest to better understand practical reason.  This website is to share some of the valuable books, podcasts and other materials I have found and to set out some of my own thoughts.

Three Questions

My interest in practical reason concerns  three questions.  The first is ‘What Is The Nature of Practical Reason?‘ and my broad answer is that it concerns human judgements about how to achieve ends that matter.  The second is ‘What Should We Generally Be Aiming At?’ and my answer is that aggregate happiness is of ultimate value but not always a guide for action.  The third is ‘What Should Humanity’s Priorities Be?‘ and my answer, following Effective Altruism,  is that these include the long-term future, global poverty and animal welfare.

Other Interests

Besides practical reason, my website and blog also reflects other interests in philosophy, psychology, science, history, economics and current affairs.