Fatalism can turn uncertainty and self-interest into an excuse for inaction. This essay distinguishes that reasoning from Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and examines climate risk, AI safety, public goods, and agency under uncertainty.

There is a possible self-fulfilling prophecy of self-interest: When enough people expect others to act selfishly, doing good becomes more expensive. Prosocial people must spend more effort protecting themselves, enforcing […]

I do not make a moral judgment here about whether mass surveillance is good or bad. This is a prediction, not an endorsement. My prediction is that the future world […]