Revealed Priorities is a blog about the gap between what we say we value and what our actions reveal we actually prioritise.

The name comes from “revealed preferences” in economics - the idea that you can infer what people actually want by observing their choices, not their stated preferences. The standard interpretation is fatalistic: if you scroll TikTok instead of reading Tolstoy, you really do prefer TikTok, regardless of what you say you value. Your behaviour reveals your true preferences. End of story.

I prefer “revealed priorities” because it’s more optimistic and agentic. Your behaviour reveals what you’re currently prioritising, not what you’re capable of prioritising or what you ultimately want. There’s often a gap between those two things. That gap can be closed - by removing friction, changing environments, or (sometimes) with pharmacological help. The goal isn’t fatalistic acceptance. It’s honest assessment as the starting point for change.

What I Write About

  • Self-optimisation as engineering: Treating productivity, decision-making, and behaviour change as machine problems (not moral ones)
  • Epistemics and reasoning: How to think clearly, update beliefs, and build judgment as a force multiplier
  • Systems and tools: Technical infrastructure, automation, and friction reduction that enable value-aligned action
  • Economic and political philosophy: Makers vs takers, signalling theory, healthcare reform
  • Uncoupling ambition from applause: Maintaining drive and growth without requiring external validation as the motivator

Who I Am

Anonymous for now. The ideas matter more than the person.

Elsewhere

This blog has no comments, no analytics, no tracking. If something resonates, act on it. If you want to respond, write your own post.

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