Scott Alexander explains postmodernism to rationalists, using the Dark Age debate as an example, and discusses its applications, risks, and critiques. Longer summary

Scott Alexander attempts to explain postmodernism to rationalists, using the debate about the existence of a European Dark Age as an example. He describes postmodernism as focusing on how politically-motivated people weave facts to tell specific stories, rather than on the facts themselves. The post discusses how this applies to various fields and how everyone uses postmodernist thinking sometimes. Scott also explores the potential risks of postmodernism collapsing into ignoring disagreeable facts and addresses critiques of the philosophy. He concludes by comparing rationalist and postmodernist approaches to dealing with subjectivity and bias. Shorter summary

A collection of interesting links from early 2017 covering drugs, education, politics, science and history, with Scott's commentary on each. Longer summary

This is a links post where Scott Alexander shares various interesting articles and studies he's come across. The post covers a wide range of topics including new drug developments, education statistics, political events around Trump's presidency, scientific discoveries, and historical curiosities. The format follows a typical links post structure with brief commentary on each link, often adding context or witty observations. Many items focus on current events from early 2017, including Trump administration policies and European political trends. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the trend of labeling various ideologies as 'religions', arguing that this approach is often overly broad and potentially misleading. Longer summary

This post discusses the tendency to label various ideologies and movements as 'religions'. Scott begins by listing examples of this trend, from environmentalism to Apple fandom. He then critiques this approach, arguing that the definition of 'religion' can be stretched to fit almost anything. However, he acknowledges that some movements do seem more 'religious' than others. Scott suggests that what we often call 'religion' might be better understood as 'culture' or 'community'. He explores the similarities between religions, cultures, and communities, noting that they all involve shared values, rules, heroes, and the potential for mind-killing. Ultimately, Scott argues that labeling these movements as 'religions' can be misleading and potentially harmful, as it carries connotations that may not be accurate or fair. Shorter summary