In this video I take a look at some of the ethical concerns that arise when we try to be ‘practical.’ Often, what stops us in our tracks from making the world a better place is our fear of causing damage when we try something new. As applied anthropologists, we are careful to assess damage before we set out. At the same time, we cannot allow our vision to be suffocated by fear. Change involves risk. The questions is: how reasonable is our risk taking? In today’s discussion I am indebted to the work of a number of anthropologists, and in particular to Veronica Strang’s 2011 book “What anthropologists do.”