Scott examines the concept of 'priesthoods' (like medicine and academia) as epistemic communities that maintain high standards through isolation from the public, showing both their strengths and their vulnerability to ideological capture. Longer summary

Scott analyzes how professional 'priesthoods' like medicine and academia function as epistemic communities, maintaining their effectiveness through deliberate isolation from the public and strict internal standards. He explains how their key features - separation from the public, resistance to capitalism, and formal communication norms - help them maintain quality but also make them vulnerable to ideological capture. The post explores how these institutions were particularly susceptible to political capture in recent years, while arguing that despite their flaws, they still serve an important function that would be difficult to replicate. The discussion concludes by questioning how to deal with priesthoods' current state of partial corruption. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares insights gained from writing a comprehensive post on lockdown effectiveness, highlighting the complexities and challenges of analyzing such a multifaceted issue. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on writing a comprehensive post about lockdown effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the challenges of addressing such a complex, multi-dimensional issue, including the difficulty of comparing different types of costs, the limitations of mathematical models, and the potential for bias in academic research. Scott also notes the varying pandemic experiences across different countries and regions, and the surprising involvement of rationalists and effective altruists in lockdown studies. He emphasizes the importance of considering alternative approaches beyond the typical pro/anti-lockdown debate, and the value of cross-disciplinary research in addressing complex issues. Shorter summary