Hello! I'm Ragnar
I'm a software engineer from Estonia who sees technology as a lever for helping people — to think more clearly, to communicate better, and to feel healthier mentally.
Most of our biggest challenges — from personal conflicts to societal divisions — stem from how we process information and relate to each other. What if we could build systems that gently nudge us toward better conversations? Tools that help us recognize when unrecognized emotions are clouding our judgment? Platforms that encourage empathy without requiring heroic effort?
While I'd love to solve every problem at its root, I've learned that even small, automated improvements can compound into meaningful change. The key is building systems that keep working in the background — making things a little better each day without constant manual intervention.
What I'm thinking about
These days, I spend time exploring:
- How emotions shape our thinking - Understanding how we can be "under the influence" of intense emotions and what that means for decision-making
- Rebuilding civic trust - Inspired by Vlad Vexler's ideas about strengthening democracy through belonging rather than just rights, and making institutions work for regular people
- Active Inference & Free Energy - Fascinated by Karl Friston's ideas about how living creatures model the world
- Empathetic Problem Solving - Admin of Compassionate Epistemology Discord, where we combine deep listening with collaborative solutions
- Evidence-based communication - Exploring how CBT, DBT's "wise mind," Motivational Interviewing, and Non-Violent Communication can improve how we connect
- Effective Altruism - How can we do the most good with our limited resources?
- Vibe Coding - Writing prompts to AI and letting it write the code
A bit of philosophy
Through years of questioning and rebuilding my beliefs, I've come to think that empathy might be humanity's most underutilized resource. I believe that even destructive impulses often have understandable reasons — and that active listening and collaborative problem-solving work better than judgment and resentment.
The only thing I'm nearly certain of? "Experience is happening." Everything else is a tentative model — useful maps of reality that I'm always ready to update when better evidence comes along.
Day to day
You might find me:
- Listening to Making Sense with Sam Harris, Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg, or Vlad Vexler on democracy and civic trust
- Cycling when the summer weather cooperates
- Slowly watching through my growing watchlist on IMDb
- Listening to music or singing or playing guitar
Let's connect
I love meeting people who are passionate about making a positive impact. Whether you're interested in effective altruism, want to discuss philosophy, or just want to chat about code, I'd be happy to connect!
LinkedIn · Professional background & projects
YouTube · Videos & content
SoundCloud · Music & compositions
GitHub · Code & projects