Want to dive into Scott Alexander's work and his thousands of blog posts? This fan website lets you sort and do semantic search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

See also Top Posts and All Tags.

Tag: authoritarianism

Or pick a range
–
min
Blog
Only
Year
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
No results found
authoritarianism (18)
study critique (272)
book review (224)
AI (113)
economics (105)
effective altruism (105)
education (93)
creative writing (92)
debate (92)
forecasting (91)
politics (89)
prediction markets (89)
science (85)
AI safety (82)
media criticism (76)
neuroscience (76)
rationality (76)
psychiatry (73)
psychology (72)
mental health (69)
highlights from the comments (68)
No results found
study critique (272)
book review (224)
AI (113)
economics (105)
effective altruism (105)
education (93)
creative writing (92)
debate (92)
forecasting (91)
politics (89)
prediction markets (89)
science (85)
AI safety (82)
media criticism (76)
neuroscience (76)
rationality (76)
psychiatry (73)
psychology (72)
mental health (69)
highlights from the comments (68)
Links to
No results found
domain: slatestarcodex.com (1129 posts)
domain: wikipedia.org (901 posts)
domain: astralcodexten.com (568 posts)
domain: lesswrong.com (494 posts)
domain: twitter.com / x.com (447 posts)
domain: nih.gov (334 posts)
domain: reddit.com (322 posts)
domain: amazon.com (277 posts)
domain: substack.com (271 posts)
domain: google.com (236 posts)
domain: nytimes.com (229 posts)
domain: wordpress.com (175 posts)
domain: tumblr.com (159 posts)
domain: vox.com (159 posts)
domain: washingtonpost.com (143 posts)
domain: marginalrevolution.com (140 posts)
domain: sciencedirect.com (131 posts)
domain: theguardian.com (130 posts)
subreddit: slatestarcodex (130 posts)
domain: youtube.com (129 posts)
Remember which posts I've read on this device
18 posts
Date
Length
Likes
Comments

Your Book Review: Lee Kuan Yew's Memoirs

A review of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs covering his transformation of Singapore from third-world city-state to wealthy nation through pragmatic policies, framed as a 'rationalist power fantasy' of someone who successfully implemented sensible governance.

acx
Sep 25, 2026 8,424 words 420 likes 184 comments Read Read Opened Opened

Orban Was Bad, Even Though We Don't Have A Perfect Word For His Badness

Scott argues that Viktor Orban's election loss doesn't vindicate him or disprove concerns about democratic backsliding, since autocrats can do many undemocratic things and still lose elections.

acx
Apr 16, 2026 2,710 words 868 likes 1,139 comments Listen · 17 min Read Read Opened Opened

The Bloomer's Paradox

Scott examines a paradox where bloomers and anti-doomers warn against apocalyptic thinking while treating doomerism itself as an unprecedented existential crisis requiring drastic action.

acx
Nov 6, 2025 2,899 words 494 likes 426 comments Listen · 18 min Read Read Opened Opened

Defining Defending Democracy: Contra The Election Winner Argument

Scott explains why true democracy requires more than just winning elections - it needs a complex system of checks and balances to ensure future elections remain fair and free.

acx
Sep 18, 2025 1,403 words 496 likes 728 comments Listen · 9 min Read Read Opened Opened

ACX Endorses Harris, Oliver, Or Stein

Scott Alexander endorses Harris, Oliver, or Stein for the 2024 US presidential election, arguing against Trump's authoritarianism while acknowledging and countering arguments that Democrats may be more subtly authoritarian.

acx
Oct 30, 2024 4,045 words 559 likes 1,622 comments Listen · 25 min Read Read Opened Opened

Dictator Book Club: Chavez

Scott Alexander reviews a book about Hugo Chavez, analyzing his rise to power, rule, and impact on Venezuela, while drawing parallels to other populist leaders.

acx
Nov 2, 2023 7,473 words 227 likes 440 comments Listen · 47 min Read Read Opened Opened

Highlights From The Comments On Putin

Commenters provide additional context and debate points from Scott Alexander's review of a Putin biography, covering Putin's rise, the author's objectivity, and comparisons to US politics.

acx
Aug 11, 2023 4,142 words 82 likes 283 comments Listen · 24 min Read Read Opened Opened

Your Book Review: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

A review of 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' analyzes Hitler's rise to power, identifying key factors to recognize potential authoritarian threats.

acx
Aug 4, 2023 10,070 words 180 likes 274 comments Listen · 74 min Read Read Opened Opened

Dictator Book Club: Putin

Scott reviews a biography of Vladimir Putin, tracing his rise to power and methods of maintaining control in Russia.

acx
Aug 3, 2023 5,640 words 179 likes 419 comments Listen · 32 min Read Read Opened Opened

Why I'm Less Than Infinitely Hostile To Cryptocurrency

Scott Alexander argues for a nuanced view of cryptocurrency, highlighting its legitimate uses and potential benefits despite common criticisms.

acx
Dec 8, 2022 3,681 words 335 likes 891 comments Listen · 23 min Read Read Opened Opened

Dictator Book Club: Xi Jinping

Scott reviews a book on Xi Jinping's rule, exploring China's government structure and Xi's rise to power, concluding that China's system failed to prevent authoritarianism.

acx
Apr 6, 2022 6,466 words 170 likes 421 comments Listen · 48 min Read Read Opened Opened

Highlights From The Comments On Orban

Scott Alexander discusses reader responses to his review of Viktor Orban's leadership in Hungary, exploring debates around authoritarianism, democracy, and effective governance.

acx
Nov 11, 2021 7,518 words 55 likes 449 comments Listen · 55 min Read Read Opened Opened

Dictator Book Club: Orban

Scott reviews Viktor Orban's rise to power in Hungary, detailing his political transformation and methods of consolidating control through exploiting constitutional loopholes.

acx
Nov 4, 2021 5,254 words 161 likes 731 comments Listen · 39 min Read Read Opened Opened

Ambidexterity And Cognitive Closure

Scott Alexander examines the relationship between handedness, authoritarianism, and cognitive flexibility, finding unexpected results that contradict a recent study.

acx
Apr 1, 2021 2,100 words 71 likes 238 comments Listen · 16 min Read Read Opened Opened

Book Review: The New Sultan

Scott Alexander reviews a book on Erdogan's rise to power in Turkey, analyzing the factors that led to democratic backsliding and considering lessons for other democracies.

acx
Mar 18, 2021 7,803 words 220 likes 805 comments Listen · 50 min Read Read Opened Opened

[ACC Entry] Are Islam And Liberal Democracy Compatible?

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.

ssc
Sep 5, 2018 15,303 words 0 likes 147 comments Listen · 114 min Read Read Opened Opened

Book Review: Seeing Like A State

Scott Alexander reviews 'Seeing Like A State', examining how state efforts to standardize and control societies often backfire by ignoring local knowledge.

ssc
Mar 16, 2017 11,326 words 0 likes 570 comments Listen · 78 min Read Read Opened Opened

Links 1/17: Inaugurl Address

A diverse collection of links covering current events, scientific studies, and cultural developments, with brief commentary on each story's significance or implications.

ssc
Jan 23, 2017 2,587 words 0 likes 765 comments Read Read Opened Opened
Per page:
Showing 1 to 18 of 18 results
Subscribe to this search

We'll send you an email whenever a new post matches this search.

Tagged authoritarianism

To get these emails, create a free account. We only use it for this website's features, like subscriptions and favorites, and never share your email.

Already have an account? Log in

New here? Create an account

Get these search results in an EPUB

Your filters match 18 posts.

Posts to include
–
Leave empty to keep the defaults. Range cannot exceed 500 posts.
Download now

Generates an EPUB right now and downloads it to your device.

Send to email

Generates an EPUB in the background and emails you a temporary download link.

Your email is not shared with anyone.

Email address

To send to your Kindle, just use this link.