Scott critiques the phrase 'the purpose of a system is what it does' by showing how it confuses outcomes with intentions and leads to absurd or paranoid conclusions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques the popular phrase 'the purpose of a system is what it does' (POSIWID) by showing how it leads to absurd conclusions. He uses several examples including cancer hospitals, the Ukrainian military, and public transport to demonstrate that a system's actual outcomes don't necessarily reflect its purpose. The post shows how people often misuse this phrase on social media to suggest malicious intent behind system failures, rather than acknowledging that systems can have unintended consequences or simply fail to achieve their goals. He concludes by suggesting satirical alternative phrasings that highlight the absurdity of the original. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the ethics of using Sci-Hub, introducing 'Dark Rule Utilitarianism' to argue that pirating scientific papers could be ethical despite being illegal. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the ethics of using Sci-Hub, a website for pirating scientific papers. He presents arguments for and against its use, ultimately concluding that it might be ethical. He argues that while piracy can harm industries like movies, destroying the scientific journal industry through piracy could be beneficial due to its rent-seeking nature. Scott introduces the concept of 'Dark Rule Utilitarianism' to justify this stance. He then explores the broader implications of civil disobedience, using a metaphor of a magic artifact that enforces laws to different degrees across latitudes. He concludes that some level of civil disobedience can be beneficial for society, helping to dissolve inadequate equilibria. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the online forum Longecity, where users organize group buys of experimental chemicals, seeing it as a risky but intriguing counterbalance to slow drug approval processes. Longer summary

Scott Alexander expresses admiration for Longecity, an online forum where users organize group buys of experimental chemicals for self-experimentation. While acknowledging the dangers and irresponsibility of such practices, he finds a certain appeal in how it counteracts potential suppression of wonder drugs by slow-moving institutions. The post discusses examples of ongoing group buys, including attempts to replicate anti-aging experiments in rats. Scott concludes by suggesting that while this behavior is risky, it serves as a safeguard against dystopian scenarios where beneficial drugs are suppressed, reflecting a balance between institutional stupidity and population insanity in Western civilization. Shorter summary