Scott Alexander reviews comments on his defense of Baby Boomers, clarifying three separate claims about generational fairness and addressing debates about housing policy, Social Security, cultural changes, and whether the structural problems attributed to Boomers are actually universal features of aging populations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his original post defending Baby Boomers from generational criticism. He clarifies that he should have better separated three distinct claims: whether Boomers had it easier, whether the political system favors them unfairly, and whether they're uniquely selfish. He addresses housing policy (particularly California's Proposition 13), cultural changes like divorce and childcare, Social Security technicalities, and whether anti-Boomer sentiment is justified as a political project. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between 'natural' and 'marked' policy choices, and argues that many problems blamed on Boomers result from broader structural issues like demographic pyramids rather than unique generational selfishness. Shorter summary

Scott argues against the trend of 'Boomer-hating,' contending that Baby Boomers delivered peace and prosperity, passed on greater wealth to their children, and don't differ significantly from younger generations on most political issues. Longer summary

Scott Alexander pushes back against the growing anti-Boomer sentiment in contemporary discourse. He argues that despite popular narratives, Baby Boomers presided over an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, and younger generations actually have more inflation-adjusted wealth than Boomers did at the same age. He examines claims that Boomers are politically extreme (both left and right), finding minimal generational differences on issues like climate change, nuclear power, and housing policy. Scott addresses the accusation that Boomers are plundering younger generations through Social Security, showing that benefit generosity peaked in 1972 and has since contracted. He concludes by warning that generational identity politics, like other forms of identity politics, provides a lazy way to hate everything while avoiding substantive policy discussion, and that today's young people will eventually face similar resentment from future generations. Shorter summary

A wide-ranging collection of 40 news items and interesting facts, covering AI, politics, science, economics, and culture, with the author's commentary. Longer summary

This post is a collection of 40 diverse links and news items covering topics such as AI developments, politics, science, technology, economics, and culture. It includes updates on OpenAI and Google's AI projects, discussions on religious phenomena, analyses of social and economic trends, and various interesting facts and anecdotes. The author provides commentary and context for many of the items, often with a mix of humor and critical analysis. Shorter summary

Anna Schaffner's 'Exhaustion: A History' traces explanations for chronic fatigue from ancient times to modern Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, showing how they reflect contemporary cultural and scientific ideas. Longer summary

The book 'Exhaustion: A History' by Anna Schaffner explores the concept of chronic, pathological exhaustion throughout Western history. It traces various explanatory models used in science and culture, from ancient humoral theory to modern conceptions of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). The author argues that while the symptoms have remained consistent, the explanations for exhaustion have changed over time, reflecting contemporary cultural and scientific ideas. The book covers religious, moral, sexual, and medical explanations, culminating in the current debates surrounding CFS and its controversial status in modern medicine. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines obscure pregnancy interventions that may improve child outcomes, rating them by evidence quality and potential impact. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews various obscure pregnancy interventions that could potentially improve child outcomes, particularly IQ. He rates them in tiers based on evidence strength and potential impact, with Tier 1 being most strongly supported. Key interventions discussed include embryo selection, choline supplementation, avoiding stress and certain substances, and optimizing birth timing. He emphasizes these are extreme measures not meant to induce guilt, and that standard pregnancy advice is still most important. Shorter summary

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

Scott Alexander examines whether psychiatric conditions result from evolutionary failures or tradeoffs, proposing that most disorders involve a combination of both. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the nature of psychiatric conditions, discussing whether they result from evolutionary failures or tradeoffs. He presents evidence for both hypotheses, noting that recent research favors the failure hypothesis. However, he argues that some conditions likely involve both failures and tradeoffs. He uses analogies from justice systems and nuclear war scenarios to illustrate how failures and tradeoffs can interact. The post concludes by suggesting that most psychiatric disorders exist on a spectrum from mostly-tradeoff to mostly-failure, and critiques the neurodiversity movement's blanket statements about conditions like autism. Shorter summary

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

A collection of links covering topics from drug regulation and genetic testing to tax reform and AI developments, with Scott's commentary on each item. Longer summary

This is a wide-ranging links post covering various news items and studies. Topics include FDA regulations and drug pricing, genetic testing advances, Russian Facebook ads from the 2016 election, studies on education and intelligence, tax reform effects on graduate students, and various scientific developments. The post moves quickly between topics, providing brief commentary and often linking to additional sources. Several items focus on medical and healthcare issues, from insulin prices to studies on pain medication effectiveness. The post maintains Scott's characteristic mix of intellectual curiosity and light humor throughout. Shorter summary

A wide-ranging links post covering recent research, political developments, and interesting findings across various fields, with particular focus on psychology research, political polling, and academic developments. Longer summary

An extensive roundup of links covering various topics in science, politics, and culture. Scott covers recent research on discrimination and peer effects, discusses political developments like Brexit polling and DNC chair elections, highlights interesting academic papers on personality and therapy, and shares various curiosities like tracking a child's first words. The post also covers developments in AI, drug regulation, and campus activism. The tone is analytical and exploratory, often questioning conventional wisdom and examining evidence from multiple angles. Shorter summary

Elizabeth Van Nostrand explains how the International Refugee Assistance Project's (IRAP) ground-level work with refugees enabled a rapid response to Trump's immigration ban, highlighting the importance of maintaining emergency response capacity. Longer summary

This guest post by Elizabeth VanNostrand discusses the importance of organizations like the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in responding to crises such as Trump's immigration ban. The author explains how IRAP's day-to-day work with individual refugee cases positioned them to respond quickly and effectively when the ban was implemented. The post highlights the value of maintaining capacity for emergency response, even when it may seem inefficient during non-crisis periods. It also emphasizes the importance of partnerships between organizations like IRAP and larger, more established groups like the ACLU. The author concludes by encouraging donations to IRAP or similar small charities doing ground-level work. Shorter summary

Scott shares and comments on various interesting links covering science, politics, and curiosities, with particular focus on recent studies in genetics and psychology. Longer summary

This is a links post collecting various interesting news and studies from different fields. Topics range from scientific discoveries about probiotics and neurons, to political news about Hillary Clinton and Obamacare, to peculiar historical facts about town names and statistical centers. Scott provides brief commentary on many of the links, expressing particular interest in studies about genetics, social mobility, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander delivers a wedding speech for Mike and Hannah Blume, blending personal anecdotes, humor, and reflections on the couple's potential impact on future generations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander gives a speech at the wedding of Mike Blume and Hannah 'Alicorn' Blume, recounting his history with the couple and his admiration for their relationship. He discusses how he met Hannah, his initial reluctance to attend weddings, and his growing friendship with Mike. Scott praises their relationship as a model of mutual respect and love. The speech then takes an unexpected turn to population genetics, explaining how all humans are descendants of historical figures, and concludes by highlighting the couple's potential impact on future generations. The speech balances humor, personal anecdotes, and philosophical musings about the future of humanity. Shorter summary