Basilisk

I’m a foreign-born university student in the US studying philosophy and economics, with a minor in mathematics. I’m interested in being a doctoral student in one of philosophy or economics. My interests are in ethics, the philosophy of science, and growth theory. I joined this website as an opportunity to discuss my philosophical and political worldview, principally via the forums. In light of that, I will provide an overview of my core beliefs.

I am a theist (without tying myself to any particular religion); I believe the universe was created by a powerful, intelligent, and potentially-benevolent being. I think Christianity is the most plausible religion, but most major religions have pretty significant flaws and I’m hesitant to identify with any of them (that said, I think Christianity is clearly a net positive force for humanity). I think free will exists, and moral realism is true, with ethical intuitionism being approximately correct (I recommend Huemer’s “Ethical Intuitionism”). I support common sense morality and value pluralism – I believe a variety of goods, including increasing happiness, reducing suffering, aesthetic beauty, and fairness, matter, and I also believe there exist prima facie rights that we must respect. I think future people matter as much as present one, and I support a totalist view of population ethics.

My most foundational political views are (1) a strong belief in the power of long-run economic growth (specifically, growth that moves the technological frontier itself with new ideas), (2) pro-natalism (the view that growing the human population is a force for good), and (3) a strong belief in actions that reduce the risk of nuclear war, especially between the US and Russia or China. Additionally, I have some (morally) libertarian beliefs – I believe that the state is a coercive entity, and hence needs substantial justification to violate people’s rights, including their property rights. That said, I am no minarchist or anarchist, and I am willing to defend using the state’s power to protect public safety (eg, by banning some recreational drugs or maintaining a strong police force) or advance the three foundational causes I care about (eg, a strong US military to help reduce the risk of nuclear conflict).

Together, this leads me to be (by American standards) a moderate conservative. I support deregulation and free markets to promote innovation and growth while upholding property rights. I believe that US hegemony is a force for good in reducing the risk of global conflict, but that the US should not aggravate the risk of nuclear war, as it has in some ways in Europe over the past two years. I believe in strong families – I regret the decline of extended families living together, and regret even more the decline in family values in the past few decades, with more single-parent families and lower total fertility (although I am, unlike most conservatives, in favour of same-sex marriage). I view accelerating progress in areas like artificial intelligence to be crucial to the project of economic growth, as well as outpacing China in building transformative technology. I think free discussion is crucial to make social progress, so I support First Amendment-style legal protections for free speech and strong cultures of free speech; consequently, I think identity politics and cancel culture are to the detriment of progress. I wouldn’t call myself a Burkean conservative, as I am a strong believer in progress, but I have respect for elements of it.