I think about how we can solve complex problems by applying technology, strategy, and behavioral science
 to benefit the greater good.

My goal is to understand the psychological bases of complex systems and how artificial intelligence can help advance science and society. More ›

Selected Work
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Building Sustainable Habits: Why We Make Excuses and Resist Habit Change
Why do we have habits that we want to achieve, but still meet resistance?
A technique for starting new habits and maintaining motivation: Attack Doses
How do we take advantage of situations where motivation is high to increase motivation when it’s low?
How do you maintain original thinking and avoid traditional patterns of thought when learning about a new field?
Some initial thoughts on paradigm blindness and thinking outside the box
Latest Articles
Things I learned about being more effective at Effective Altruism Global 2016
Making better arguments, the power of upstream multipliers, outstanding career capital, and more
Analogies are like lossy compression for complex ideas
Advantages and pitfalls of using analogies
How do you maintain original thinking and avoid traditional patterns of thought when learning about a new field?
Some initial thoughts on paradigm blindness and thinking outside the box
Great books I read in 2015
My five favorite books of the year, plus other great reads
Question: What is the use of college?
A well-framed question and a request for resources and opinions
Learning
What's top of mind.
Current Interest
How do we develop beneficial, safe AI?
Learning Now
AI, AI safety and machine learning
Reading Now
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind — Y. N. Harari