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31 posts found
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Oct 30, 2025
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Links For October 2025

42 min • 6,423 words • 803 comments • 211 likes • podcast (38 min)
Scott Alexander presents 51 links covering AI progress and safety, political developments, scientific research, cultural oddities, and ongoing philosophical debates about miracles and education reform. Longer summary
Scott Alexander shares 51 links covering diverse topics including AI developments (agents, safety, consciousness research), political news (Ukraine policy, UK politics, Trump administration), science updates (climate predictions, genetics, bacteriophages), cultural curiosities (Shakespeare superfan plastic surgery, Soviet naming conventions, flag cones), health research (Alzheimer's prevention, shingles vaccine reducing dementia, kidney donation), and philosophical debates (Hume's argument against miracles, the Fatima miracle discussion). The post maintains Scott's characteristic blend of serious analysis and quirky observations, touching on everything from Bach's descendants in Oklahoma to the mystery of why AI still struggles with laundry folding despite mastering protein folding. Shorter summary
Sep 04, 2025
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Links For September 2025

54 min • 8,283 words • 918 comments • 233 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
Jun 26, 2025
acx
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Missing Heritability: Much More Than You Wanted To Know

68 min • 10,491 words • 669 comments • 456 likes • podcast (62 min)
Scott explores the 'missing heritability' problem in genetics, where twin studies show traits like IQ and educational attainment are highly heritable but newer genomic methods find much lower heritability, analyzing various potential explanations for this discrepancy. Longer summary
The post examines the 'missing heritability' problem in genetics, where twin studies consistently show behavioral traits like IQ and educational attainment are substantially heritable (around 40-60%), while newer genomic methods find much lower heritability (around 15-20%). Scott reviews the history of behavioral genetics research, explains various study methodologies and their potential biases, and analyzes different hypotheses for this discrepancy. He examines whether twin studies might be flawed, whether newer methods might be missing important genetic effects, and whether educational attainment might be an unusually problematic trait to study. While acknowledging remaining mysteries, he tentatively concludes that twin studies are probably largely correct and that newer methods may be missing rare variants and genetic interactions. Shorter summary
May 15, 2025
acx
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Book Review: Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids

43 min • 6,596 words • 724 comments • 497 likes • podcast (41 min)
Scott reviews Bryan Caplan's book arguing that modern parents can relax their intensive parenting, while wrestling with whether this advice still applies in the age of smartphones and social media. Longer summary
Scott reviews Bryan Caplan's book 'Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids', exploring its main arguments about how parents today spend much more time on childcare than previous generations despite evidence that parenting style doesn't greatly affect outcomes. The post explores historical childcare data, the cultural shift away from letting kids play unsupervised, and modern challenges like screen time. Scott, dealing with his own twins, finds the book's advice about relaxing parenting standards compelling but struggles with modern concerns about phones and technology that weren't relevant when the book was written in 2011. Shorter summary
Feb 07, 2025
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1DaySooner's Trump II Health Policy Proposals

13 min • 1,950 words • 269 comments • 234 likes • podcast (12 min)
Scott Alexander and 1DaySooner outline potential positive health policy initiatives that could emerge under three key Trump administration health appointees: Jim O'Neill, Marty Makary, and Jay Bhattacharya. Longer summary
This post discusses potential health policy proposals under a hypothetical second Trump administration, focusing on three key appointees and their possible initiatives. The piece examines Jim O'Neill as Deputy Secretary of HHS, highlighting his potential work on organ donation compensation and longevity research; Marty Makary as FDA Commissioner, discussing FDA transparency and regulatory improvements; and Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Director, exploring research funding reforms and challenge trials. Written in collaboration with 1DaySooner, the post specifically focuses on optimistic scenarios that could emerge from these appointments. Shorter summary
Feb 01, 2024
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It's Fair To Describe Schizophrenia As Probably Mostly Genetic

26 min • 3,908 words • 306 comments • 203 likes • podcast (22 min)
Scott Alexander argues that schizophrenia should be described as predominantly genetic, addressing counterarguments and emphasizing the importance of this perspective for prevention strategies. Longer summary
Scott Alexander argues that it's fair and accurate to describe schizophrenia as predominantly genetic. He responds to various arguments against this characterization, comparing the situation to how we discuss smoking causing lung cancer. Scott emphasizes that while environmental factors play a role, genetic factors account for the majority of variance in schizophrenia risk. He argues that acknowledging the genetic nature of schizophrenia is important for developing effective prevention strategies, such as polygenic screening, rather than focusing solely on hard-to-control environmental factors. Shorter summary
Aug 23, 2023
acx
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Critical Periods For Language: Much More Than You Wanted To Know

16 min • 2,373 words • 241 comments • 147 likes • podcast (14 min)
Scott Alexander investigates the claim that children learn languages faster than adults, finding it partially true but more nuanced than commonly believed. Longer summary
Scott Alexander examines the claim that children learn languages faster than adults, finding it to be partially true but more complex than commonly believed. He explores various aspects of language acquisition, including critical periods for first language learning, age effects on second language learning, and differences in learning rates between children and adults. The post concludes that while children seem to pick up second languages faster than adults, this advantage is not as clear-cut as often thought, and factors like exposure, motivation, and declining learning rates with age play significant roles. Shorter summary
Feb 22, 2023
acx
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Book Review: The Geography Of Madness

57 min • 8,723 words • 803 comments • 409 likes • podcast (53 min)
Scott reviews a book on culture-bound syndromes, expanding the discussion to how all mental illnesses are influenced by culture to varying degrees. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews 'The Geography of Madness' by Frank Bures, which explores culture-bound syndromes like koro (belief in penis theft by witches). The book traces the history and spread of these syndromes across cultures. Scott expands on the idea, discussing how all mental illnesses exist on a spectrum of biological vs. cultural influence. He argues that even conditions considered 'real' in Western psychiatry, like anorexia or PTSD, have significant cultural components. The review touches on complex issues around gender dysphoria and cultural beliefs, concluding that there is no truly 'neutral' culture free from influence on mental health presentations. Shorter summary
May 27, 2022
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Your Book Review: The Anti-Politics Machine

31 min • 4,689 words • 275 comments • 155 likes • podcast (33 min)
A review of 'The Anti-Politics Machine' by James Ferguson, discussing its critique of development projects and implications for Effective Altruism. Longer summary
This post reviews 'The Anti-Politics Machine' by James Ferguson, which critiques development projects in Lesotho. The reviewer highlights two key ideas: the concept of 'development discourse' that leads to misinterpretation of local contexts, and the 'anti-politics machine' critique of technocratic decision-making. The review discusses how these ideas apply to modern development economics and Effective Altruism, suggesting the need for more qualitative research, emphasis on local context, and consideration of political implications in charitable work. Shorter summary
Apr 06, 2022
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Dictator Book Club: Xi Jinping

42 min • 6,466 words • 422 comments • 170 likes • podcast (48 min)
Scott reviews a book on Xi Jinping's rule, exploring China's government structure and Xi's rise to power, concluding that China's system failed to prevent authoritarianism. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews Elizabeth Economy's book 'The Third Revolution' about Xi Jinping's rule in China, but finds it doesn't answer his key questions about how Xi came to power. He explores China's government structure, the pre-Xi era, Xi's rise to power, and his actions as leader. Scott concludes that China's oligarchic system failed to prevent authoritarianism, increasing his confidence in democracy, though he's uncertain about attributing China's economic success solely to its government. Shorter summary
Mar 16, 2022
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Justice Creep

8 min • 1,215 words • 675 comments • 255 likes • podcast (9 min)
Scott Alexander examines the increasing use of 'justice' framing in social and environmental issues, exploring its implications and potential societal impact. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the trend of framing various social and environmental issues as matters of 'justice,' such as 'economic justice,' 'climate justice,' and 'racial justice.' He argues that this semantic shift from 'helping' or 'saving' to 'justice' carries different implications and connotations. The post explores how the justice framing might suggest current conditions are unjust, imply an obligation to pursue justice, and potentially conflate sophisticated philosophical concepts with criminal justice connotations. Scott also posits that this shift might reflect a transition from utopian to dystopian thinking in society. Shorter summary
Nov 25, 2021
acx
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Links For November

24 min • 3,596 words • 738 comments • 63 likes • podcast (30 min)
Scott Alexander shares 34 varied links and pieces of information on topics including science, history, politics, and technology, with brief commentary on many items. Longer summary
This post is a collection of 34 diverse links and snippets of information on various topics. It covers subjects ranging from Jeff Bezos' biological father, to studies on Christianity's growth, to climate change discussions, to updates on AI progress. The post also includes commentary on current events like the University of Austin controversy and political polling trends. Many of the links discuss recent scientific studies or historical anecdotes, often with Scott's brief analysis or opinion added. Shorter summary
Jul 21, 2021
acx
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Highlights From The Comments On "Crazy Like Us"

34 min • 5,184 words • 191 comments • 45 likes • podcast (34 min)
Scott discusses reader comments on his 'Crazy Like Us' book review, covering topics like PTSD, cultural influences on mental illness, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia. Longer summary
This post discusses several comments on Scott's review of 'Crazy Like Us', touching on topics like PTSD in ancient vs modern soldiers, cultural influences on mental illness, childhood sexual abuse, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia. Scott reflects on these comments, providing additional context and sometimes revising his views based on new information presented. Shorter summary
Jun 14, 2021
acx
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Contra Smith On Jewish Selective Immigration

26 min • 3,906 words • 690 comments • 202 likes • podcast (29 min)
Scott Alexander argues that Jewish overachievement is real and deserves continued study, countering Noah Smith's attempt to downplay its significance. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to Noah Smith's article questioning whether Jews are really disproportionately successful. Scott argues that Jewish success is real and not fully explained by selective immigration or other factors Noah proposed. He examines historical evidence on Jewish immigration, compares Jewish achievement to urbanization rates, and discusses data on Jewish success in various fields. Scott concludes that Jewish overachievement remains an interesting and important phenomenon to study, potentially offering insights into genetics or cultural factors that could be broadly beneficial if understood. Shorter summary
Jun 09, 2021
acx
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I Will Not Eat The Bugs

12 min • 1,756 words • 679 comments • 127 likes • podcast (12 min)
Scott Alexander examines the ethical considerations of insect farming for food, questioning whether insects have moral value and how this impacts our ethical decisions. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the moral implications of insect farming for food production. He explores the question of whether insects have moral value, citing scientific debates on insect pain perception and comparing the scale of insect farming to other forms of animal agriculture. The post touches on the environmental arguments for eating insects, the scale of wild insect suffering, and how considering insect welfare can influence our moral calibration. Scott uses a mix of scientific references, philosophical arguments, and humor to explore this complex ethical issue. Shorter summary
May 20, 2021
acx
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Links For May

17 min • 2,547 words • 386 comments • 52 likes • podcast (28 min)
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of 37 links and interesting facts, covering topics from AI research and educational methods to historical anecdotes and current events. Longer summary
This post is a collection of 37 diverse links and interesting facts. Topics range from politics, technology, and science to history, culture, and economics. The post includes updates on AI research, discussions of educational methods, unusual historical anecdotes, and commentary on current events. Scott Alexander presents these with his characteristic mix of curiosity, humor, and analytical insight, often adding personal thoughts or highlighting particularly intriguing aspects of each item. Shorter summary
Apr 08, 2021
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Your Book Review: Order Without Law

102 min • 15,739 words • 169 comments • 33 likes • podcast (92 min)
The review analyzes Robert Ellickson's 'Order Without Law', which argues that close-knit communities often develop welfare-maximizing social norms that supersede formal laws. Longer summary
This book review examines 'Order Without Law: How Neighbors Settle Disputes' by Robert Ellickson, which explores how social norms often supersede formal laws in close-knit communities. The review provides a detailed analysis of Ellickson's main hypothesis: that members of close-knit groups develop norms that maximize aggregate welfare in their everyday interactions. It discusses various case studies, including cattle ranchers in Shasta County and whalers, and critically examines the strengths and limitations of Ellickson's arguments. Shorter summary
Mar 31, 2020
ssc
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SSC Journal Club: MacIntyre On Cloth Masks

11 min • 1,652 words • 124 comments • podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander analyzes a study suggesting cloth masks may be harmful, but remains cautiously in favor of their use despite the uncertainty. Longer summary
Scott Alexander examines a 2015 study by MacIntyre et al. on the efficacy of cloth masks compared to surgical masks and no masks in healthcare settings. The study found cloth masks performed worse than both surgical masks and the control group, raising concerns about their safety. However, Scott notes several limitations of the study and its interpretation. He leans towards believing cloth masks are still better than nothing, especially for blocking outgoing pathogens, but emphasizes the high uncertainty in this life-or-death decision during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shorter summary
Dec 11, 2019
ssc
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[ACC] Is Eating Meat A Net Harm?

72 min • 11,092 words • 416 comments • podcast (70 min)
A vegetarian and meat-eater collaborate to analyze the impacts of eating meat, concluding that reduced consumption is beneficial but not as clear-cut as some might think. Longer summary
This post is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest, where a vegetarian and a meat-eater investigate the ethical, health, and environmental impacts of eating meat. They explore animal consciousness, factory farming conditions, human happiness set points, health outcomes, environmental effects, and costs of switching diets. They conclude that reducing meat consumption, especially chicken, is beneficial overall, but the case is not as strong as some vegetarians might assume. Shorter summary
Aug 05, 2019
ssc
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Links 8/19

11 min • 1,705 words • 515 comments
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links on topics ranging from scientific studies to historical anecdotes, with brief commentary on each. Longer summary
This post is a collection of various links and brief summaries on diverse topics. It covers scientific studies, historical anecdotes, political developments, and cultural phenomena. The topics range from new malaria control methods and gender transition studies to the economics of dictatorships and the history of rat-baiting. Scott Alexander provides commentary on some of the links, often with a touch of humor or irony. The post also includes updates on ongoing debates in fields like psychology, nutrition, and climate change. Shorter summary
Dec 13, 2018
ssc
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Trump: A Setback For Trumpism

11 min • 1,600 words • 1 comments • podcast (15 min)
Scott Alexander examines how Trump's presidency has unexpectedly decreased support for his own policies, analyzing polls and proposing several explanations for this counterintuitive trend. Longer summary
Scott Alexander analyzes how Donald Trump's presidency has paradoxically led to a decrease in support for his own political positions. The post presents several polls showing increased support for free trade, immigration, and other non-Trumpist positions since 2016. Scott proposes various explanations for this phenomenon, including disgust with Trump as a person, partisan realignment, conservatives distancing themselves from Trump, increased media focus on negative aspects of Trump's policies, shifting of goalposts, and backlash effects similar to those seen in studies of disruptive protests. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of civility and honesty in politics, warning that being sufficiently repulsive can damage one's own cause. Shorter summary
Sep 05, 2018
ssc
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[ACC Entry] Are Islam And Liberal Democracy Compatible?

99 min • 15,303 words • 147 comments • podcast (114 min)
The post examines the compatibility of Islam and liberal democracy by analyzing six Muslim-majority countries, finding a wide spectrum of outcomes and concluding that Islam often acts as an obstacle to liberal democracy. Longer summary
This post examines the compatibility of Islam and liberal democracy by analyzing six Muslim-majority countries: United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Lebanon. The authors review each country's history, constitution, democratic institutions, and human rights record to assess the extent to which liberal democracy has taken hold. They find a wide spectrum, from Tunisia's robust democracy to Iran's theocratic regime, with the other countries falling in between. The authors conclude that while it's possible for Muslim countries to adopt liberal democracy, Islam often acts as an obstacle, and most Muslim countries have only taken small steps in that direction so far. Shorter summary
Jun 28, 2018
ssc
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Highlights From The Comments On Piketty

24 min • 3,664 words • 169 comments • podcast (27 min)
Scott Alexander summarizes and analyzes various critiques of Thomas Piketty's 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century', finding that many of Piketty's key claims don't hold up well under scrutiny. Longer summary
This post summarizes various critiques and discussions of Thomas Piketty's book 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century'. Key points include: Matt Rognlie's criticism that Piketty didn't correctly account for capital depreciation, and that recent capital-share growth comes primarily from housing. The post questions Piketty's claim about higher returns for the super-rich, with various commenters providing insights on investment strategies and market behavior. It also discusses critiques of Piketty's income distribution statistics and data interpretation. The post concludes that many of Piketty's main claims, such as the rising rentier class and much better returns for the super-rich, don't hold up well under scrutiny, though some of his rules of thumb for growth are more robust than expected. Shorter summary
Mar 08, 2018
ssc
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SSC Journal Club: Friston On Computational Mood

20 min • 3,081 words • 93 comments • podcast (28 min)
Scott reviews a paper proposing a computational model of mood and emotions based on predictive processing, discussing its implications for understanding mood disorders. Longer summary
This post discusses a paper by Clark, Watson, and Friston that proposes a computational perspective on mood and emotions. The authors argue that emotions reflect changes in the uncertainty about the somatic consequences of action, while mood corresponds to hyperpriors about emotional states. The theory suggests that depression is a prediction of bad outcomes with high confidence, mania is a prediction of good outcomes with high confidence, and anxiety is a prediction of bad outcomes with low confidence. The post explores how this theory explains various aspects of mood disorders and their symptoms, including learned helplessness and the role of serotonin. The author finds the theory intriguing but notes some inconsistencies, particularly in unifying the concepts of 'prior on bad outcomes' and 'low precision of predictions'. Shorter summary
Mar 04, 2018
ssc
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God Help Us, Let’s Try To Understand Friston On Free Energy

30 min • 4,507 words • 246 comments • podcast (33 min)
Scott Alexander attempts to understand and explain Karl Friston's complex 'free energy' principle in neuroscience, exploring its various interpretations and potential implications. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores Karl Friston's work on 'free energy', a complex concept in neuroscience that has been described as a unified brain theory. The post delves into various interpretations of free energy, from its mathematical origins in Bayesian equations to its application in explaining perception, cognition, homeostasis, and action. Scott struggles to fully grasp the concept, acknowledging its complexity and the widespread difficulty in understanding Friston's work. He presents different perspectives on free energy, including its role in uncertainty reduction, its connection to predictive processing, and its potential to explain biological systems and the origin of life. The post concludes with a tentative synthesis of these ideas and raises questions about the implications of the free energy principle for machine ethics. Shorter summary
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