Statement of Purpose
I don’t understand how the world works, and neither do you. In the vast torrent of information created by modern forms of media, including those questionably deemed “social,” it can seem impossible to achieve a firm grip on the truth. Fact and falsehood vie for our attention with equal fervor, and the distinction between the two is obscured by those who pollute the public discourse for their own ends. As the cognitive imperfections inherent to humanity collide with an excess of information and numerous efforts to distort it, many find themselves doomed to one or another variety of groupthink. Political news and opinion encourage partisanism, Facebook and Twitter feeds nurture tribalism, and more and more people seem intent on establishing a single orthodoxy as the only legitimate belief system across a variety of domains. To depart from the orthodoxy is to expose oneself to virulent sanction. Free thought, a vital precondition for understanding the world and addressing the problems affecting it, is imperiled on every side by the enclosing vise of conformity.
This publication is intended as a counterweight to the constriction of free thought. It aims to offer reasonable, independent commentary on matters of politics and society. It will insist on rigor when other outlets settle for shallow analysis. It will champion open expression in the face of what John Stuart Mill called “social tyranny," which seeks “to fetter the development, and, if possible, prevent the formation, of any individuality not in harmony” with prevailing opinion. This publication will therefore recognize neither the false authority of the majority nor the specious rectitude of those who claim, whether implicitly or explicitly, the mantle of moral superiority. It will wade into controversial topics with no concern for anything other than determining the truth. Not content to merely scrutinize the beliefs held by others, it will turn inward and question the very opinions to which it gives expression. It will distrust certainty and embrace complexity. It will seek out sustained and meaningful engagement with its readers. In short, it will adopt an attitude of unbounded questioning that recognizes the merit of reason, the danger of dogma, and the importance of community. By no other means can we strive toward knowledge with the expectation of making any progress.
In the spirit of transparency, I should note that my beliefs place me on the left of the political spectrum. I think that luck, whether in socioeconomic circumstances or genetic endowment, plays the decisive role in life outcomes. I therefore believe the government should attempt to provide a generous system of benefits calculated to reduce the power that chance holds over us. This does not mean that I favor every possible government intervention ostensibly undertaken in the interest of the less fortunate. The potential for adverse consequences to result from good intentions is very real; a moral position that operates without awareness of this potential is, quite simply, not moral. Nor does the tendency of my beliefs to skew leftward mean that I endorse the increasingly common view that intellectual purity tests serve a useful function, or that the range of legitimate debate should be reduced so as to protect anyone. The persecuting spirit that seeks to enforce agreement through sanction rather than persuasion will be vigorously opposed by this publication.
Finally, I should speak to a defining feature of my worldview that is common to humanity, by which I mean ignorance. As I inspect my beliefs I notice that far too many rest on simple prejudice, and not the bedrock of evidence needed to justify holding them. Wary of embracing unsubstantiated opinions, I frequently resort to a kind of intellectual non-commitment as the best alternative. But in reality, I should be working out the factual basis for believing or disbelieving a particular proposition. My future writings will be dedicated to the process of doing so. My goal in writing, above all else, is to learn as much as possible while inviting others to learn with me.