The Reward of Illogical Action

Six steps — and the moral weight of purpose

On the left: a vertical progression of six beliefs, each a different way to find — or refuse to find — purpose in what we do. On the right: research into utilitarianism and why the optimized, outcome-driven life can feel cold even when it is correct.

The research panel surfaces a contradiction: utilitarianism, viewed across Social Psychology, Evolutionary Biology, and Cognitive Science, holds that the morally right choice is the one that maximizes welfare — yet utilitarian reasoners are consistently rated as colder, less trustworthy, less desirable as social partners. The "right" answer comes at the cost of the right kind of person. This tension became the seed of the installation.

From a 2D game that revealed the wrong lesson, to a space that listens

First came the references — Photosynthetic at ZERO Space Studio, the Windhover Contemplative Center. Then a 2D HTML game where the player held the spacebar to fight an attacker. Testing revealed players inferred the goal immediately from game conventions; the misdirection didn't land. The solution was to move out of game vocabulary entirely and into a meditation room — six sensor-driven phases that respond to stillness rather than action.