Scott Alexander shares his experiences and challenges in running a microgrants program, offering insights and advice for others considering similar initiatives. Longer summary

Scott Alexander recounts his experience running a microgrants program, detailing the challenges and complexities involved. He discusses the difficulty of evaluating grant proposals, relying on expert advisors, dealing with applicants' poor grant-writing skills, and navigating the moral dilemmas of effective altruism. Scott concludes by questioning whether running such a program is worthwhile for most people, suggesting alternatives like donating to established charities, and proposing a new impact certificate-based system for future grant-making. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the concept of innate ability and argues for its acceptance, while cautioning against tying self-worth to intellectual achievement. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of innate ability and its impact on self-worth, using personal anecdotes and philosophical arguments. He discusses how attributing success to hard work alone can be problematic, as it ignores inherent differences in aptitude. The post compares attitudes towards intelligence with those towards other traits like weight or poverty, noting a inconsistency in how society views these issues. Scott argues for accepting innate differences while still encouraging effort, and suggests that self-worth should not be tied to intellectual ability or achievement. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander compares reactions to coming out as gay versus disliking math, introducing the concept of a 'Things To Be Fascinated About Lottery' to explain diverse interests and talents. Longer summary

In this post, Scott Alexander compares people's reactions to someone coming out as gay versus someone expressing dislike for math. He argues that while people are generally accepting of sexual orientation, they often react negatively and dismissively to someone's lack of interest in math. Scott explores the concept of a 'Things To Be Fascinated About Lottery', suggesting that our interests and talents are largely determined by chance. He reflects on his own struggles with math and how he came to accept that intelligence isn't monolithic, and that people can have different strengths and weaknesses. The post concludes with the idea that while some interests may be more advantageous than others, we shouldn't blame ourselves for our natural inclinations. Shorter summary