My passion is exploring and advancing human flourishing. 

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In my personal and professional life, I strive to synthesize diverse disciplines—like philosophy, public policy, affective and developmental neuroscience and psychology, education and human development—to investigate how individuals, communities, and cultures can flourish. I believe these disciplines provide a first-principles framework upon which to build a cross-ideological political and cultural movement necessary to secure our collective survival and flourishing. 

My goal is to integrate insights from these disciplines on how our brains guide and shape our behavior—in the context of our social and emotional feeling processes, which are shared universally at the level of biology—into existing models for promoting meaning, purpose, belonging, and flourishing. Doing so will, with any luck, provide a coherent strategy for addressing the daunting issues of the twenty-first century, whether in democracy, education, economic inequality, mental health, or any number of other issue areas. 

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In my daily life, I am a cautious optimist with a passion for contributing to social progress, through writing, reading, activism, and community-building. I am also an enthusiast with a love of music, film, food, art, sports, and nature.