knowledge should live outside authority:

Franklin's approach reveals what distinguishes philosopher-builders from ordinary builders: the intellectual courage to question prevailing assumptions, the moral clarity to build for human flourishing rather than mere optimization, and the pioneering vision to shape the future rather than merely respond to it.

Without philosophical examination, builders inherit their answers from the defaults of their environment.

Moral clarity creates market opportunities. Notion thrives by enhancing users' ability to organize their thoughts rather than maximizing time-in-app—its block-based architecture prioritizes user control and flexibility. Substack focuses on helping writers build direct relationships with readers instead of ad-driven revenue—writers own their... See more

A philosopher-builder starts with explicit moral commitments, constantly examined and refined. For example, they recognize that human autonomy—people's ability to deliberate about their goals and pursue them freely—is essential to what makes achievement meaningful.

Technologists rarely ask whether they’re steering us toward futures worth wanting.

An AI assistant built with this understanding would enhance users' capacity to reflect and choose rather than just optimizing interaction time. An educational AI would focus on expanding students' capacity to think independently and seek truth, using its ability to rapidly improve test scores as a means to clear hurdles and free up time for deeper... See more

Abdication works when designing a sign-up flow, but not when shaping the structure of human thought

Rather than choosing between thinking and doing, profit and purpose, or extremes of hope and despair, he fused sustained inquiry with ambitious execution—building institutions that embodied his philosophical convictions.