Scott Alexander presents evidence against the existence of advanced Ice Age civilizations, particularly those rivaling ancient Egypt or 1700s Great Britain. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues against the existence of advanced Ice Age civilizations, categorizing potential claims into three levels of advancement: Stonehenge-like, Egyptian-like, and 1700s Great Britain-like. He presents three main arguments: the lack of archaeological sites that would survive sea level rise, the absence of evidence for early crop and livestock domestication, and the lack of elevated lead levels in ice cores and human bones from that period. While he doesn't completely rule out Stonehenge-level civilizations, he finds strong evidence against more advanced societies. The post concludes with probability estimates for future discoveries of pre-11,000 BC structures at different levels of sophistication. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares fascinating excerpts from 'Legal Systems Very Different From Ours', highlighting unique aspects of various historical and cultural legal systems. Longer summary

This post is a collection of interesting passages from David Friedman's book 'Legal Systems Very Different From Ours'. It covers a wide range of historical and cultural legal systems, including ancient Chinese law, Jewish law, Islamic Sharia, medieval Icelandic government, Somali law, English pardons, Gypsy customs, Amish communities, Plains Indian customs, and Athenian legal practices. The passages highlight unique aspects of these systems, such as unusual punishments, creative interpretations of religious law, and innovative solutions to legal problems. The author presents these examples with a mix of fascination and occasional humor, drawing attention to the ingenuity and sometimes counterintuitive nature of different legal approaches. Shorter summary