Welcome to Common Sense! My name is Raza Akbari and I’m a 17-year-old (as of January 19th, 2019) greatly interested in economics, politics and much more. I’ll be using this blog not only as a way to communicate my opinions (I guarantee I have one on every issue) to an audience (hopefully), but also to engage in discussion with all of you. This is what Common Sense will be all about; fostering a community of civil debate. So please comment on any one of my posts you have an opinion about, especially if you disagree with me. Agreeing with someone is great, but peaceful disagreement is what truly promotes progress in the world.
I was born in Pakistan in 2001 but grew up in Canada and Bahrain. Following my move back to Canada last year after having lived in Bahrain for several years, I, for no simple reason, started to take serious interest in the social sciences. I had been determined to pursue computer engineering or science at a post-secondary institution, but that all changed very quickly. As of January 19th, 2019, I am a first-year university student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce.
I am enamoured by the theories of economics. I find political interactions to be fascinating. I love the social sciences in general and if I had to succinctly explain why I would point to the endless debates they allow for and the numerous real-world applications they have. For example, I do enjoy math as a subject, but it is only truly magnificent when used in the real world, perhaps through the mode of the economy. I like philosophy, but even more so when it affects people’s lives directly through politics and public policy.
I guess one could say I like hypothesizing about society like a controlled experiment. What would happen if resources were allocated here instead of there? What rights do individuals need and what effect would this have on the world? This seems like a large-scale issue today – but is there more to the story?
But the only thing I desire more than studying all this alone is discussing it with others. So join me; let’s answer all these questions and more!
Header image credits go to me.
Blog created on October 29th, 2017.
Update: 04-04-2023
I just wanted to leave the post I wrote above as is as a testament to my mentality a few years back. As I’m typing now, in 2023, a lot has changed. For one, you just know the “incident” of 2020 is going to be talked about forever, doomed to become the subject of every average high schooler’s History essay. Whether you want to chalk it up to that incident, maturity, graduation, or anything else, I’m not as interested in politics and economics on the surface anymore. There are still discussions to be had, but a lot of it feels like re-hashing the same bad-faith talking points without digging deeper beneath the surface. I’ve started keeping notes on interesting thoughts I have from time to time, and they range from ethics to epistemology and more. I think my posts will be more in that vein in the future – just a way for me to get down ideas I’ve been paying attention to recently.
Hey, I might change my mind again in the future, and this is certainly not me closing any doors, but I just wanted to give myself an update on what I initially wrote here to see how I’ve changed. Apart from that, reach out to me, talk to me, and ask me anything you’d like; I’ll be interested to hear what you have to say.
Update: 04-22-2026
I’ve realized this whole thing is best seen as an outlet for pent-up thoughts and feelings. It’s okay to take comfort in the simplicity and honesty of that. One more tool to help survive the nights; why would I complain?
Common Sense 