Scott shares 50 diverse links covering topics from AI developments to policy changes, with commentary on current events, research findings, and societal trends. Longer summary

In this monthly links roundup, Scott Alexander covers a wide range of topics including AI developments, public policy changes, scientific research, and current events. The post follows a numbered format presenting each item with Scott's characteristic analysis and often humorous commentary. Notable topics include AI safety developments, changes in government policy, climate change updates, and various social and technological trends. The tone alternates between analytical and personal reflection, particularly when discussing potentially concerning political developments. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores correlations between PMS symptoms and various beliefs and traits, finding significant connections that leave him puzzled. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses survey results related to PMS symptoms and their correlations with various beliefs and traits. He attempts to replicate findings from Aella's Twitter polls, which showed connections between PMS and belief in the supernatural, as well as neuroticism. Using data from the ACX survey, Scott finds significant correlations between PMS symptoms and belief in the supernatural, as well as anxiety levels. He explores potential explanations, including cultural influences and hormonal factors, and presents additional correlations found in the survey data. The post ends with Scott expressing confusion about the findings and inviting readers to replicate his work using the publicly available survey results. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on polyamory, providing data and addressing concerns about relationship satisfaction, child-rearing, and abuse risks in poly relationships. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous posts about polyamory, addressing various arguments and providing data where possible. He discusses statistics on relationship satisfaction and child-rearing in poly vs. monogamous relationships, addresses concerns about abuse risks, and shares personal observations. The post touches on cultural perceptions of polyamory, its prevalence among different groups, and potential societal impacts. Scott also reflects on some new insights he gained from the discussion, particularly around child-rearing in poly relationships and abuse risks. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander suggests that studying human fetishes could provide insights into AI alignment challenges, particularly regarding generalization and interpretability. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the idea that fetish research might help understand AI alignment. He draws parallels between evolution's 'alignment' of humans towards reproduction and our attempts to align AI with human values. The post discusses how fetishes represent failures in evolution's alignment strategy, similar to potential AI alignment failures. Scott suggests that studying how humans develop fetishes could provide insights into how AIs might misgeneralize or misalign from intended goals. He proposes several speculative explanations for common fetishes and discusses how these might relate to AI alignment challenges, particularly in terms of generalization and interpretability problems. Shorter summary

A diverse collection of links and news items from July 2023, covering topics from historical curiosities to current technological and social developments. Longer summary

This post is a collection of interesting links and news items from July 2023. It covers a wide range of topics including historical curiosities, scientific studies, social issues, technological advancements, and current events. The post touches on subjects such as town naming, polyamory research, AI developments, and political decisions. It also includes some humorous and unusual facts, as well as commentary on social and cultural trends. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on his 'Geography of Madness' review, revising views on culture-bound syndromes and exploring various mental health topics. Longer summary

This post discusses various comments on Scott Alexander's review of 'The Geography of Madness'. It covers topics like culture-bound syndromes, the prevalence of brief psychotic disorder, the history of school shootings, the universality of PTSD, the rise of transgender identities, and the correlation between believing in ghosts and experiencing PMS. Scott revises some of his previous views, becoming more skeptical about many traditional culture-bound syndromes and acknowledging the complexity of cultural influences on mental health conditions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares 57 diverse links and brief commentaries on topics ranging from politics and psychology to technology and culture. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a collection of 57 interesting links and brief commentaries on various topics, including politics, psychology, technology, culture, and science. The post covers a wide range of subjects, from corporate takeovers and European stereotypes to psychedelic research and AI developments. It also includes discussions on mental health, education, and current events. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues for generally believing reports of unusual mental experiences, countering skepticism about unfalsifiable internal states. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Resident Contrarian's skepticism about unfalsifiable internal states like jhana meditation experiences. He argues that we should generally believe people's reports of unusual mental experiences, based on examples like visual imagination, synaesthesia, and phantom limb pain. Scott critiques RC's arguments about 'spoonies' and dissociative identity disorder, providing a more nuanced view of these conditions. He emphasizes the importance of considering evidence and priors rather than relying solely on intuition about whether people are lying. Shorter summary