Over a century ago, Nietzsche predicted the decline of religion would lead society down the path of nihilism, unless we were strong enough to create meaning for ourselves. But life clearly has no purpose. A purpose is a goal, and a goal can be either categorical, as in “the purpose…

I was just watching a video about how anti-friction bearings work in a car engine and I suddenly had a wonderous feeling of all of the cumulative knowledge and labor that has gone into producing this essential piece of machinery. Which is the complete opposite of how I typically feel…

Motivation = Expected value = Probability of success x Value — 1) When we are motivated by success, we fail. Before writing this article, I spent a lot of time not writing it. So much so that I had to ask myself, did I really want to write the article? Turns out, what I really wanted was for people to read the article. And I wasn’t really sure if that…

Because there’s no going back from moral relativism… — Do unto others as you would have them do unto you It’s the Golden Rule, and if you went to a public school in the United States in the last few decades you’ve probably heard of it. Be kind, give more, leave things better off than when you found them. …

This is an embarrassing article to write, because it’s about something I feel like I should’ve figured out a long time ago. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of people out there still struggling with it. The point of the matter is this — when…

I’ve met more than a few people over the years who have proudly branded themselves as “Multipotentialites”. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, one of my favorite authors captures the sense nicely: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a…

My response to a post on Reddit: “I remember slaving away writing my undergraduate thesis for 9–10 hour days for weeks, setting my own schedule and taking breaks when I felt like it, making no money in the process, and feeling totally satisfied. Then I went to my first 9–5…

I write to discover the truth. I believe there is too much information out in the world. My homepage is bombarded with dozens of articles telling me how to live my life. This combined with a lack of purpose spurred by resentment towards a wasted childhood? A recipe for disaster…