How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and do semantic search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Sep 26, 2025
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Your Review: The Russo-Ukrainian War

51 min • 7,798 words • Comments pending
A personal account of fighting as a foreign volunteer in Ukraine, from leaving a boring IT job to joining the International Legion and experiencing trench warfare firsthand. Longer summary
The author describes their journey from an unfulfilling IT job to joining Ukraine's International Legion as a foreign volunteer fighter in 2022. They detail the process of getting to Ukraine, the initial experience in Lviv, and working with various volunteer organizations before joining the military. The bulk of the post describes daily life in the trenches, the structure of the International Legion, and the realities of modern warfare including drone combat. The author reflects on the experience of war, arguing that while destructive, it can provide meaning and purpose for young men seeking adventure and honor. Shorter summary
Sep 25, 2025
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Sources Say Bay Area House Party

23 min • 3,468 words • Comments pending
A satirical story about a Bay Area house party where men pretend to be connected to right-wing figures to attract journalists, while exploring tech culture and social media dynamics. Longer summary
Scott writes a satirical story about a Bay Area house party where men engage in 'curtfishing' - pretending to be connected to right-wing figures to attract female journalists. The story follows various conversations at the party, including one with someone pretending to be Curtis Yarvin, a startup founder working on automated condemnations, and a discussion about the addictive and damaging nature of Twitter (now X). The story is filled with tech culture in-jokes and commentary on social media dynamics, journalism, and Silicon Valley culture. Shorter summary
Sep 19, 2025
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Your Review: Project Xanadu - The Internet That Might Have Been

54 min • 8,228 words • Comments pending • podcast (51 min)
A book review exploring the history of Project Xanadu, Ted Nelson's pioneering but ultimately unsuccessful vision for a hypertext-based internet system that preceded and differed significantly from the World Wide Web. Longer summary
This book review traces the fascinating history of Project Xanadu, Ted Nelson's ambitious vision for a hypertext-based internet system that predated and rivaled the World Wide Web. Starting with Vannevar Bush's 1945 concept of the memex, through Doug Engelbart's groundbreaking demos, to Nelson's decades-long quest to build Xanadu, the post explores how this alternative vision for the internet - featuring bidirectional links, embedded content, and built-in attribution - ultimately failed to materialize despite its early start and innovative ideas. The review ends by questioning whether the simpler Web we got instead, built by Tim Berners-Lee, might have cost us something valuable in terms of how we connect and share information online. Shorter summary
Sep 18, 2025
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Defining Defending Democracy: Contra The Election Winner Argument

10 min • 1,403 words • Comments pending • podcast (9 min)
Scott explains why true democracy requires more than just winning elections - it needs a complex system of checks and balances to ensure future elections remain fair and free. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explains why 'democracy' requires more than just having one election where the winner gets unlimited power. He argues that to ensure future fair elections, a democracy needs various checks and balances that we associate with liberalism - like an independent judiciary, free press, and civil society organizations. He describes how these institutions work together to prevent a leader from subverting future elections, using the example of what would happen if a leader tried to rig an election by firing election monitors. The post concludes by noting that both progressive and conservative authoritarians can threaten these democratic safeguards, though through different methods. Shorter summary
Sep 12, 2025
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Your Review: The Synaptic Plasticity and Memory Hypothesis

77 min • 11,801 words • 176 comments • 177 likes • podcast (66 min)
A review of the synaptic plasticity and memory hypothesis arguing that it is insufficient to explain memory, and proposing a broader cellular processes and memory hypothesis that includes molecular and intracellular mechanisms. Longer summary
The post reviews the synaptic plasticity and memory (SPM) hypothesis, which claims that learning and memory are stored in changes to synaptic weights between neurons. Through several compelling examples, from cannibalism rituals to heart transplant stories and single-cell learning, the author argues that while the SPM hypothesis has been productive, it is incomplete and partially wrong. The post presents evidence that memory can be stored through non-synaptic mechanisms, and proposes an alternative called the cellular processes and memory (CPM) hypothesis, which suggests memory storage involves multiple molecular and intracellular processes beyond just synaptic weights. Shorter summary
Sep 11, 2025
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Book Review: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies

46 min • 7,102 words • 1,037 comments • 423 likes • podcast (43 min)
Scott reviews a new book by Yudkowsky and Soares that makes an uncompromising case for halting AI development to prevent human extinction, analyzing both its arguments and its potential impact as a call to action. Longer summary
Scott reviews Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares' upcoming book 'If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies' about AI safety. The book makes an uncompromising case that AI development will likely lead to human extinction and should be halted immediately through an international treaty and arms control regime. Scott analyzes both the book's arguments and writing style, finding the core message compelling but questioning some of the specific scenarios presented. He reflects on why many people reject existential AI risk warnings using similar dismissive patterns seen with other potential catastrophic risks. Shorter summary
Sep 05, 2025
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Your Review: Participation in Phase I Clinical Pharmaceutical Research

31 min • 4,777 words • 114 comments • 213 likes • podcast (26 min)
A detailed insider look at Phase I clinical drug trials, revealing how the system's structure encourages participants to routinely lie about their medical history and symptoms to continue participating. Longer summary
This review explores Phase I clinical pharmaceutical trials from a participant's perspective, detailing the process, the people involved, and systemic issues. The author explains how participants are recruited, screened, and monitored during trials, then describes the peculiar demographics of regular trial participants. A key focus is how the system's incentives encourage dishonesty: participants routinely lie about medical history and symptoms because being truthful often leads to disqualification from future trials. The author concludes that while this systemic dishonesty probably doesn't catastrophically compromise drug safety, it does make the research pipeline less effective than it could be. Shorter summary
Sep 04, 2025
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Links For September 2025

54 min • 8,285 words • 936 comments • 223 likes • podcast (45 min)
Scott Alexander presents his monthly collection of interesting links and developments across technology, science, culture, and policy, with personal commentary on each item. Longer summary
Scott Alexander shares a collection of 61 interesting links, spanning topics from AI development and scientific studies to cultural observations and policy discussions. The post covers diverse subjects including GPT-5's reception, genetic research, religious demographics, urban development, mental health studies, and various scientific discoveries. Scott provides commentary and analysis on many of these items, often connecting them to broader themes or offering his perspective on controversial issues. Shorter summary
Sep 02, 2025
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What Is Man, That Thou Art Mindful Of Him?

16 min • 2,445 words • 735 comments • 1,176 likes • podcast (16 min)
In a fictional podcast dialogue, God and Iblis debate whether human intelligence shows genuine promise or is fundamentally flawed, with God defending humans despite their limitations while Iblis argues they're a failed experiment. Longer summary
The post is a fictional dialogue between God, Iblis (Satan), and podcast host Dwarkesh Patel debating the merits and flaws of human intelligence. Iblis criticizes humans by showing examples of their logical failures, ethical inconsistencies, and inability to generalize knowledge, while God defends humans by emphasizing their potential and progress. The debate touches on topics like mathematical understanding, ethical reasoning, and pattern recognition. God ultimately argues that despite their flaws, humans show genuine promise and deserve patience and nurturing, comparing them to children who make mistakes but have potential. Shorter summary
Aug 29, 2025
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Open Letter To The NIH

6 min • 815 words • 374 comments • 184 likes • podcast (6 min)
Scott shares an open letter urging the NIH to spend $5 billion in allocated but unspent research funds before the fiscal year deadline. Longer summary
Scott Alexander shares an open letter to the NIH about unspent research funding. The letter, which he was asked to share by anonymous authors concerned about retaliation, urges NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to follow through on his commitment to spend $5 billion in allocated funds before the fiscal year ends on September 30th. The letter emphasizes the bipartisan support for NIH funding, the economic returns on research investment, and the importance of keeping pace with China's increasing research spending. Shorter summary
Aug 26, 2025
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In Search Of AI Psychosis

27 min • 4,042 words • 487 comments • 452 likes • podcast (26 min)
Scott investigates AI psychosis through historical analogies and a reader survey, finding it affects roughly 1 in 10,000 to 100,000 people yearly, with most cases involving pre-existing risk factors. Longer summary
Scott examines the phenomenon of AI psychosis, where people allegedly go crazy after extensive chatbot interactions. He explores various analogies and precedents, including the 1990s Russian TV hoax about Lenin being a mushroom, social media-induced conspiracy theories like QAnon, and the concept of folie à deux. Through a survey of his blog readers, he estimates the yearly incidence of AI psychosis at 1/10,000 (loose definition) to 1/100,000 (strict definition). The analysis suggests that most cases involve people who were already psychotic or had risk factors, with only about 10% being cases of previously healthy people developing full psychosis. Shorter summary
Aug 22, 2025
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Your Review: Ollantay

40 min • 6,137 words • 183 comments • 179 likes • podcast (33 min)
A review of Ollantay, a 1775 Quechua play that inspired the Túpac Amaru II rebellion in Peru, exploring how its plot became a deadly script for real historical events. Longer summary
This book review discusses Ollantay, a Quechua play from 1775 Peru that directly inspired the Túpac Amaru II rebellion. The review explores how the play's plot closely mirrors the real events of the rebellion, which led to 100,000 deaths. The author analyzes the mysterious origins of the play, its artistic merits, and its role as a 'cognitohazard' that influenced José Gabriel Condorcanqui (Túpac Amaru II) to follow its script, leading to tragedy. The review ends with reflections on how certain works of art seem designed to influence specific individuals to change history. Shorter summary
Aug 20, 2025
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My Responses To Three Concerns From The Embryo Selection Post

23 min • 3,515 words • 807 comments • 167 likes • podcast (19 min)
Scott responds to three concerns about embryo selection: embryo personhood rights, loss of trait diversity, and the ethics of preventing disabilities, arguing that none of these objections are fatal to the technology. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to three major concerns about embryo selection raised in response to a previous post. First, he addresses whether embryos have personhood rights, arguing that embryos lack the qualities (consciousness, intelligence, etc) that make humans morally valuable. He refutes various counterarguments about potential personhood and responds to edge cases like sleeping hermits. Second, he discusses concerns about trait diversity, arguing that the technology's limited power and slow adoption mean diversity concerns are premature. Third, he addresses the ethics of telling disabled people you'd prefer they didn't exist, comparing it to other situations where we try to prevent certain conditions without devaluing existing people. Shorter summary
Aug 15, 2025
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Your Review: Dating Men In The Bay Area

103 min • 15,821 words • 1,389 comments • 803 likes • podcast (87 min)
A woman reviews her experiences dating men in the Bay Area, analyzing how society's failure to provide clear paths to manhood has created various categories of lost men, and proposes solutions to help future generations. Longer summary
This review explores the state of dating men in the Bay Area, focusing on the broader societal issues that have left many men feeling lost and without purpose. The author, a woman who often finds herself in pseudo-therapy sessions during dates, categorizes men into several types of 'lostness': The Man Who Is Not (depressed and without identity), The Man With a Plan (following society's checklist without self-discovery), The Man Who Provides (obsessed with success), The Man Who Opts Out (given up on dating), and The Man Who Becomes a Beast (turned to toxic masculinity). She contrasts these with The Man Who Is Whole, who has found his authentic identity and purpose. The post ends with suggestions for crafting a better societal approach to masculinity. Shorter summary
Aug 14, 2025
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In Defense Of The Amyloid Hypothesis

70 min • 10,813 words • 191 comments • 255 likes • podcast (35 min)
A guest post defending the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease, explaining why amyloid is likely the root cause despite recent criticism and discussing why early treatments have only been partially effective. Longer summary
David Schneider-Joseph presents a detailed defense of the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease, which states that the disease is caused by accumulation of amyloid-β peptide. He explains the ATN model (amyloid → tau → neurodegeneration) and provides extensive evidence from genetics, clinical studies, and animal models. The post addresses various criticisms of the hypothesis, including the recent research fraud controversy and apparent failures of early treatments. The author explains why current treatments have only achieved about 30% efficacy and predicts that future treatments targeting amyloid earlier and more effectively could achieve much better results. Shorter summary
Aug 12, 2025
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Highlights From The Comments On Liberalism And Communities

32 min • 4,823 words • 286 comments • 103 likes • podcast (28 min)
Scott discusses comments on his previous post about liberalism and communities, exploring various perspectives on how wealth and societal structures affect community formation and maintenance. Longer summary
This post is a follow-up analyzing comments on Scott's previous article about liberalism and communities. He examines three main areas: theoretical discussions about community formation, specific examples of existing communities, and miscellaneous observations. The comments challenge and expand on his original thesis about wealth enabling community formation, with some arguing he underestimates existing communities while others suggest wealth actually hinders true community building. Scott identifies four different strategies for community formation and responds to various criticisms about legal barriers, sustainability, and the role of modern entertainment in community dissolution. Shorter summary
Aug 08, 2025
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Your Review: My Father’s Instant Mashed Potatoes

32 min • 4,960 words • 388 comments • 298 likes • podcast (30 min)
Through the lens of instant mashed potatoes, the author explores how modern society creates inferior imitations of real things, and what we lose by accepting these substitutes. Longer summary
The author reviews his relationship with instant mashed potatoes, using them as a lens to explore how modern society creates inferior imitations of real things. Starting with personal history about his father's love of instant mashed potatoes, the author traces the history of potato cultivation and preparation, from ancient Peru to modern instant versions. He then uses this to develop a broader theory about 'IMPish' (Instant Mashed Potato-ish) substitutes - things that are reconstituted, inferior versions of real things, from processed foods to online communities. The post ends with reflections on authenticity and what we lose when we accept these substitutes. Shorter summary
Aug 05, 2025
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Should Strong Gods Bet On GDP?

10 min • 1,513 words • 484 comments • 295 likes • podcast (10 min)
Scott examines Fukuyama's defense of liberalism as enabling tight-knit communities, and argues that economic constraints are what prevent more people from forming such communities today. Longer summary
Francis Fukuyama argues that liberalism isn't opposed to community but rather serves as a platform where different communities can thrive. Scott analyzes this claim by examining existing tight-knit communities in America, from the Amish to rationalists, noting they are exceptions rather than the rule. He suggests that economic constraints are the main barrier preventing more people from forming such communities, and argues that increased material abundance could enable more community-building. The post ends by connecting this to post-singularity scenarios, suggesting that economic freedom could allow people to form meaningful communities more easily. Shorter summary
Aug 01, 2025
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Your Review: Joan of Arc

172 min • 26,568 words • 279 comments • 292 likes • podcast (139 min)
A book review examining the evidence for Joan of Arc's miraculous abilities and accomplishments, analyzing historical sources and debating whether she was divinely inspired, mentally ill, or part of a conspiracy. Longer summary
This review examines the historical evidence surrounding Joan of Arc, particularly focusing on the extensive documentation of her life through trial records and witness testimonies. The post first provides historical context about the Hundred Years' War and France's desperate situation, then recounts Joan's remarkable military achievements and her eventual capture and execution. The author analyzes three possible explanations for Joan's abilities: divine inspiration, mental illness, or conspiracy, while noting the complexity penalties in trying to explain her military genius, theological knowledge, and apparent prophetic abilities through non-supernatural means. The post ends with reflections on what Joan's case means for historical evidence and religious faith. Shorter summary
Jul 31, 2025
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Suddenly, Trait-Based Embryo Selection

56 min • 8,609 words • 806 comments • 354 likes • podcast (60 min)
Scott analyzes the sudden emergence of commercial trait-based embryo selection services, discussing both the scientific validity and ethical implications of selecting embryos for health outcomes, intelligence, and physical traits. Longer summary
Scott examines the recent development of commercial embryo selection services, particularly focusing on companies like Genomic Prediction, Orchid Health, Nucleus, and Herasight. He explains how the technology works, comparing different companies' claims and methodologies, and discusses both scientific challenges and ethical concerns. The post explores the potential benefits, like reduced disease risk and increased IQ, while acknowledging issues around cost, racial disparities, and social implications. A significant portion focuses on Herasight's critique of competitor Nucleus's scientific claims. The post concludes by placing this technology in the broader context of human enhancement and future technological developments. Shorter summary
Jul 30, 2025
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My Heart Of Hearts

12 min • 1,783 words • 1,201 comments • 570 likes • podcast (11 min)
Scott discusses how moral principles emerge from the relationship between emotional responses and rational consistency, using reactions to Gaza as a central example. Longer summary
Scott responds to three different arguments questioning the authenticity of moral principles and emotional responses, particularly around the Gaza conflict. He uses a personal story about his reaction to a tragic account from Gaza, contrasting his raw emotional response with the need for principled rational thinking. The post explains how genuine moral principles emerge from the interplay between emotional responses and rational consistency, arguing that while perfect consistency may be impossible, the effort to generalize our moral intuitions in a principled way is valuable and necessary. Shorter summary
Jul 26, 2025
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Your Review: The Astral Codex Ten Commentariat (“Why Do We Suck?”)

74 min • 11,412 words • 343 comments • 166 likes • podcast (65 min)
A data-driven analysis of the ACX/SSC comment section quality over time reveals historical peaks and valleys, with recent signs of improvement after previous declines in 2016 and 2021. Longer summary
This review analyzes the quality of the Astral Codex Ten (ACX) comment section over time, comparing it to its predecessor Slate Star Codex (SSC). Through detailed data analysis of 1.8M comments across 2,460 posts, the author identifies two major changes in comment quality - one in 2016 and another during the 2021 transition to ACX. The analysis looks at four key metrics: depth of engagement, freedom of intellectual engagement, politeness, and complexity of thought. While the data shows a decline after these turning points, recent trends suggest the comment section may be recovering. The author explores several hypotheses for the 2016 decline, including changes in post frequency and the impact of Trump's rise on discussion norms. Shorter summary
Jul 24, 2025
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Apply For An ACX Grant (2025)

13 min • 1,864 words • 31 comments • 92 likes • podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander announces the 2025 ACX Grants program offering $1M in microgrants for charitable and scientific projects, with a new equity-sharing component for projects that become startups. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the 2025 ACX Grants program, a microgrants initiative funding charitable and scientific projects from ACX readers. He plans to contribute $200K with an expected additional $800K from other donors, for grants ranging from $5K to $50K. This year introduces a new feature where some grants will be replaced with SAFEs or convertible grants, giving ACX Grants equity claims if projects become successful startups. The post details application processes, timelines, types of projects they're interested in, and various ways others can help as funders, VCs, evaluators, or friendly professionals. Shorter summary
Jul 21, 2025
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Press Any Key For Bay Area House Party

22 min • 3,372 words • 171 comments • 619 likes • podcast (21 min)
A satirical story about a Bay Area house party that combines text adventure games with social commentary about Silicon Valley culture, tech companies, and effective altruism. Longer summary
This is a satirical story about a Bay Area house party, written as a humorous fictional narrative combining text-based adventure games with social commentary. The story follows the narrator attending a party that's been ruined by Mark Zuckerberg trying to poach everyone for Meta, then meeting various Silicon Valley characters including effective altruists discussing existential risks, people working on startups, and others debating philosophical concepts. The story pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, AI companies' GPU hoarding, EA concepts, and tech startup culture through increasingly absurd situations. Shorter summary
Jul 18, 2025
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Your Review: Islamic Geometric Patterns In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

43 min • 6,534 words • 156 comments • 161 likes • podcast (38 min)
A detailed review of Islamic geometric patterns in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Moroccan Court, analyzing both the flaws in modern recreations and the underlying mathematical principles of authentic pattern construction. Longer summary
This book review contest entry examines Islamic geometric patterns found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Moroccan Court, particularly focusing on a set of wooden doors that contain noticeable imperfections in their geometric designs. The author explains the traditional rules and principles of Islamic geometric patterns, demonstrating how proper patterns are constructed using a polygonal technique, and contrasts this with modern attempts that often fall short. Through detailed analysis of several examples in the Met's collection, including both historical pieces and modern recreations, the author explores how the loss of traditional artistic knowledge manifests in subtle ways. The piece concludes with reflections on the nature of artistic creation and the gap between creator and observer understanding. Shorter summary
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