Scott Alexander proposes two strategies for meat-eaters to reduce animal suffering: eating beef instead of chicken and donating to animal charities as 'ethics offsets'. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses two strategies for reducing one's contribution to animal suffering while still eating meat. First, he suggests replacing chicken with beef, as this dramatically reduces the number of animals killed for food. Second, he proposes using 'ethics offsets' by donating to animal charities, which can potentially save more animal lives than personal vegetarianism. The post explores the ethical implications and potential criticisms of these approaches, including concerns about hypocrisy and the effectiveness of animal charities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores how controversial ideas spread more effectively than uncontroversial ones, using examples from activism and media to illustrate this 'toxoplasma of rage' effect. Longer summary

This post discusses the concept of 'toxoplasma of rage', where controversial and outrage-inducing ideas spread more effectively than uncontroversial ones. Scott uses examples like PETA's provocative campaigns, viral rape cases, and the Ferguson protests to illustrate how activists and media are incentivized to focus on the most divisive cases, even if it ultimately harms their cause. He compares this to the toxoplasma parasite's life cycle and explores how social media platforms like Tumblr can amplify these effects. The post concludes by suggesting that this phenomenon is part of a larger system of perverse incentives that makes it difficult for society to focus on important but uncontroversial issues. Shorter summary