The post examines the medical benefits, risks, and ethical considerations of infant circumcision, presenting a balanced view based on various studies and historical context. Longer summary

This post discusses the benefits, harms, and ethics of infant circumcision. It covers various aspects including effects on penile cancer, HIV and STD transmission, UTIs, penile problems, and surgical risks. The authors also examine the impact on sensitivity and sexual satisfaction, and discuss the ethical considerations of performing this procedure on infants. The post presents a balanced view, citing numerous studies and historical context, and acknowledges the complexity of the ethical debate surrounding infant circumcision. Shorter summary

Scott reviews a book applying evolutionary psychology to psychiatry, finding the approach intriguing but hard to verify and potentially open to misuse. Longer summary

Scott reviews 'Evolutionary Psychopathology: A Unified Approach' by Marco del Giudice. The book applies evolutionary psychology to psychiatry, using life history theory to explain mental disorders. It proposes that humans adopt different life strategies (fast vs. slow) based on their environment and genetics, which influence personality traits and potentially psychiatric conditions. Scott finds the theory intriguing but notes it requires subdividing existing psychiatric categories in ways that make it hard to verify. He discusses potential social and political implications of the theory, including how it might explain effects of early childhood interventions and romantic success patterns. While seeing promise in the approach, Scott cautions that the theory could be used to justify problematic social views. Shorter summary

This Adversarial Collaboration Contest entry examines the evidence and debates surrounding transgender children transitioning, covering desistence rates, social transitioning, puberty blockers, and mental health outcomes. Longer summary

This post is an entry to the Adversarial Collaboration Contest, examining the complex issue of whether transgender children should transition. It covers topics such as gender dysphoria, desistence rates, social transitioning, puberty blockers, and mental health outcomes. The authors present evidence from various studies and narratives, discussing the potential benefits and risks of different approaches to supporting gender dysphoric youth. They conclude by summarizing the current state of knowledge on desistence, social transitioning, and puberty blockers, highlighting areas where more research is needed. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the risks of Adderall use, analyzing medical, addiction, tolerance, and neurotoxicity concerns, concluding that the benefits outweigh the risks for well-informed patients. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the risks of Adderall use, examining medical risks, addiction potential, tolerance development, and possible neurotoxicity. He critically analyzes existing research and shares his clinical experience, ultimately concluding that while there are some concerning risks, they are not severe enough to stop prescribing stimulants to patients who might benefit from them, provided they are well-informed about the risks. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander questions the plausibility of multifactorial explanations for trends, using the US crime rate decline as an example, and seeks literature on comparing single-factor vs multi-factor explanations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the plausibility of multifactorial trends, using the decline in US crime rates as an example. He presents two perspectives: one arguing that complex phenomena like crime are likely caused by many small factors, and another suggesting that simultaneous changes in multiple factors is improbable. Scott leans towards the second perspective, questioning the likelihood of ten different factors each accounting for about 10% of the crime decline. He asks if there are ways to calculate the relative likelihood of single-factor versus multi-factor explanations, noting that he feels he's missing an existing body of literature on this topic. Shorter summary