The 7 founding principles of the School for Moral Ambition

The School is founded on seven principles. They guide our decisions and express our commitment to making the world a wildly better place.

We think awareness is overrated

We recognize that we’re among the most privileged people in the history of humanity. That means we have an enormous opportunity to make a difference.

We feel awareness is overrated and don’t believe in pointing fingers. We’re ambitious but uphold our own definition of success: we want to do as much good in the world as we possibly can.

We want to make a big difference

We don’t aim for change alone, but for truly transformative impact. We know we must prioritize, and we choose to focus on the world’s biggest, most neglected, yet fixable problems.

At the same time, we’re wary of the measurability bias because not everything that counts can be counted. In cases that aren’t quantifiable, we do our best to construct a robust theory of change.

We work to expand our moral circle

We consider all sentient beings to be members of our moral circle. All are uniquely valuable and have the inherent right to exist and flourish.

We want to grow our compassion and help as many people and animals as possible. Like the abolitionists and suffragettes before us, we try to push the frontiers of humanity’s moral circle. We care about future generations and seek to be good ancestors.

We cultivate a curious mindset

We strive to see the world as it truly is, not how we want to see it. We’re epistemically humble: the world is complicated, and there are many things we don’t know or aren’t sure about.

We cultivate a curious and inquisitive mindset, and we’re not ashamed to change our minds. We encourage owning up to mistakes and admitting failures. We’re not afraid to stand out from the crowd, even when our priorities and solutions seem outlandish to others. Our truth evolves with evidence, not ego.

We believe in the good in people

For us, ambition is not about envy and resentment; it’s about inspiration and encouragement. We try to bring out the best in one another, and we know it takes a team to make a difference.

We don’t treat people as a means to an end, but always as ends in themselves. We celebrate the heroes in the spotlight and those who work tirelessly in the wings. We believe everyone has talent, and we encourage all to live a morally ambitious life.

We want to live full, rich, well-rounded lives

We’re not driven by feelings of guilt, but by sheer enthusiasm. We’re excited about making the world a better place and about building a legacy that matters.

At the same time, we know there’s more to life than work and ambition. We have loved ones, hobbies and other interests. We want to live rich, full, well-rounded lives, both to sustain our ambition and as an end in itself.

We are determined not to give up

We understand this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. We know our mission could take years, decades, or even our entire lives.

Of the sixty-eight women who convened in Seneca Falls for the first women’s rights convention in 1848, only one lived to see women secure the right to vote. We know tough times lie ahead — times when all our efforts may seem in vain. In those moments of doubt, we’ll remind ourselves that we are but a small part of a much bigger movement. And one day, we’ll pass the torch to a new generation of moral pioneers.