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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

Recurring tags: book review (212), AI safety (69), links (62), genetics (58), climate change (33), Eliezer Yudkowsky (30), links roundup (28), OpenAI (27), AI progress (15), Anthropic (12), education reform (7), Freddie deBoer (5), Richard Hanania (5), kidney donation (3), Kelsey Piper (2), Curtis Yarvin (2), David Hume (2), political news (2), NVIDIA (2), dementia prevention (2), cultural history (2)

Jul 01, 2025

acx

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Links For July 2025

28 min • 4,200 words • 581 comments • 210 likes • podcast (32 min)

Scott shares his monthly collection of 56 interesting links and developments from July 2025, covering AI, politics, science, and culture, with brief commentary on each. Longer summary

This is a collection of 56 interesting links and news items from July 2025, covering topics from AI development to politics to scientific research. The post includes updates on OpenAI's status, developments in AI regulation, new medical treatments, cultural trends, and various scientific findings. Scott maintains his usual style of presenting these with brief commentary and occasional humor, while being careful to note that he hasn't independently verified all links. Some notable items include Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill", new AI safety developments, trends in social media usage, and various medical breakthroughs. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: study critique (268), AI (110), politics (89), science (85), links (62), healthcare (56), social media (42), OpenAI (27), Trump (22)

Mar 27, 2020

ssc

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Coronalinks 3/27/20: We’re Number One

43 min • 6,534 words • 950 comments • podcast (37 min)

Scott Alexander discusses various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including strategies, mysteries, controversies, and global impacts. Longer summary

This blog post discusses various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the 'hammer and dance' strategy, smoking cessation, mysteries surrounding Japan's low case numbers, takeout food safety, ventilator numbers, the UK's policy reversal, density and infection rates, hydroxychloroquine controversy, concerns about developing countries, donation opportunities, cost-benefit analysis of lockdowns, US stimulus bill negotiations, and media coverage of the pandemic across the political spectrum. The post also includes short links to other coronavirus-related news and developments. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: economics (103), COVID-19 (53), public health (16), epidemiology (8), pandemic response (5), smoking cessation (4), media coverage (3), developing countries (2)

Jan 30, 2018

ssc

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The Invention Of Moral Narrative

14 min • 2,137 words • 600 comments • podcast (17 min)

Scott Alexander examines and critiques the claim that good-vs-evil narratives in popular culture are a recent, nationalism-driven phenomenon, offering alternative explanations for their prevalence. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the theory that good-vs-evil narratives in popular culture are a relatively recent invention, emerging after 1700 and possibly tied to nationalism. He critiques this idea, pointing out examples of good-vs-evil stories in older myths and religious texts. Scott proposes alternative explanations for the rise of these narratives, including democratization, expanding moral circles, and the memetic superiority of well-crafted good-vs-evil stories. He draws parallels between the spread of Christianity and the popularity of good-vs-evil narratives, suggesting that both offer a more appealing worldview than their predecessors. The post ends by speculating on the future evolution of such narratives. Shorter summary

Recurring tags: cultural evolution (23), Christianity (20), nationalism (5), moral progress (4), memetics (4), literary history (3), narrative structure (2)

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