I was trying to explain my political philosophy to someone, and the only words that didn’t feel wrong in my mouth were, “evidence-based ameliorist.”
I believe in whatever works to make shit better. I believe our decisions should not be informed by lofty and distant ideas, but the concrete evidence of what works and what doesn’t. What helps people survive? What helps them thrive? What sounds like a great idea but never works in real life?
I believe in politics informed by legitimate social sciences. Social policy informed by statistics, not scripture. Financial policy that safeguards the future instead of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. Political conversations based in careful examination of what’s actually being proposed, not ignorant discussions of ideals.
This isn’t some revolutionary thing I’m talking about. This is how I’m used to cities, regions, countries, being governed. Because good governance is more often about coalitions of evidence-based ameliorists with very different ideologies, than ideologically pure groups of people who reject anyone who believes differently than they do.