Philosophy for Builders
A series that applies philosophy as an engineering lens: not as abstract theory, but as a way to make clearer trade-offs, build more sustainable systems, and lead with more intention. Each post starts with a concept (Stoicism, memento mori, Socratic method...) and translates it into concrete frameworks, questions, and habits you can actually use while shipping.
- Part 1
Every Yes Kills Something
Memento mori isn’t morbid — it’s clarifying. A practical lens to prioritize what we build, protect our attention, and choose work we can actually sustain.
- Part 2
Control the Inputs, Not the Outcomes
A stoic lens for shipping in unstable environments: reduce delivery anxiety by separating what you can control from what you can’t — and designing plans around inputs, not predictions.
- Part 3
The Unexamined Backlog
A Socratic checklist for requirements: uncover assumptions, prevent scope drift, and pull discovery forward—before you build.
- Part 4
When Systems Become Self-Soothing
Pascal warned that we flee stillness by staying busy. In engineering, the flight often looks like optimizing — and it's worth learning to notice.
- Part 5
Make the Failure Useful
Nietzsche's amor fati means loving what happens. In engineering, that translates to postmortems without shame — and systems that learn from every incident.