About

This is where I think in public. I am interested in one question more than any other: how should a curious person live?

Not merely what to believe, but how to think—and how to notice, connect ideas that seem unrelated, and build tools, habits, and language that make the world a little more intelligible.

I write about whatever survives sustained curiosity. Sometimes that is philosophy. Sometimes it is software, golf, history, science, language, travel, or the design of everyday things. Subjects matter less than methods. Every discipline becomes more interesting once you ask why it developed the way it did and what it reveals about being human.

My preference is for first principles over convention, clarity over cleverness, and durable ideas over fashionable ones. I keep language precise and arguments grounded in observation. Most complexity is inherited rather than necessary.

Life has taken me through military service, technology, nonprofit leadership, retail. Mountains, cities, long walks with good books. Each taught the same lesson from a different direction: reality does not care about our stories, but careful attention usually pays dividends.

I believe thought is unfinished until it can be shared. An idea that cannot be explained clearly is incomplete. Writing is how I test whether something I think is true.

If you find yourself asking better questions after reading something here—even if you disagree with my answers—then this site has done its job.

The easiest way to reach me: [email protected]

The views here are my own.