The review examines Yukichi Fukuzawa's autobiography, highlighting his role in modernizing Japan and his humorous, insightful account of 19th century Japanese society. Longer summary

This review discusses the autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa, a prominent figure in 19th century Japan whose face appears on the ¥10,000 note. The reviewer describes Fukuzawa's life, from his childhood as a low-ranking samurai to his role in modernizing Japan during the Meiji Restoration. The autobiography is praised for its humor and insights into Japanese society during a time of great change. Fukuzawa's experiences learning Dutch and English, his travels abroad, and his efforts to spread Western knowledge in Japan are highlighted. The review concludes by considering how Fukuzawa's approach to cultural arbitrage might be applied to addressing Japan's current challenges. Shorter summary

The review examines 'Zuozhuan', an ancient Chinese historical text, exploring its content, context, and relevance to understanding societal transformation. Longer summary

This review explores the ancient Chinese text 'Zuozhuan', a commentary on the 'Spring and Autumn Annals', covering the political and social upheavals of the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE). The author delves into the historical context, the text's structure and content, and its relevance to understanding societal collapse and transformation. The review highlights the text's rich narratives, complex characters, and its value in providing perspective on living through tumultuous times. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents highlights from reader comments on his 'Bobos in Paradise' book review, covering critiques of the book's thesis, discussions on elite education, and debates on social class dynamics. Longer summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his review of 'Bobos in Paradise' by David Brooks. The comments cover various aspects of the book's thesis about the rise of a new 'Bobo' elite class, including doubts about its historical accuracy, discussions on Ivy League admissions policies, debates on the merits of hereditary aristocracy, and other interesting tangents. Scott provides his thoughts on some of the comments and highlights areas for further exploration. Shorter summary

Scott reviews David Brooks' thesis on how a 1950s change in Ivy League admissions policy reshaped American elite culture and society. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews the first sixth of David Brooks' book 'Bobos In Paradise', focusing on Brooks' thesis that a change in Harvard's admissions policy in the 1950s led to the replacement of the old WASP aristocracy with a new meritocratic elite. This shift had far-reaching consequences for American culture, values, and social trends. Scott explores how this theory might explain various phenomena, from changes in architecture to political polarization, and considers its implications for understanding modern elites and social dynamics. Shorter summary

A dialogue explores the debate between Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day, discussing the nature of holidays, cultural traditions, and historical accountability. Longer summary

This post is a dialogue between three characters discussing the merits and drawbacks of Columbus Day versus Indigenous Peoples' Day. Adraste argues for Indigenous Peoples' Day, citing the need to move away from celebrating problematic historical figures. Beroe defends Columbus Day, suggesting it celebrates a mythical version of Columbus rather than the historical figure. They debate the nature of holidays, cultural traditions, and the politics of holiday creation. A third character, Coria, briefly interjects to propose a more systematic approach to choosing holidays. The dialogue explores themes of cultural change, historical accountability, and the purpose of national celebrations. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on why modern architecture differs from older styles, exploring economic, cultural, and artistic explanations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to comments on his previous post about modern architecture. The comments cover various theories for why modern architecture looks different from older styles, including economic factors, changes in artistic tastes, cultural shifts, and technological developments. Scott engages with these ideas, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing, while exploring the broader implications for art, culture, and society. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the 'Tartaria' conspiracy theory to discuss broader shifts in aesthetic preferences, examining potential explanations and their implications for society. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the 'Tartaria' conspiracy theory, which posits that modern architecture is inferior to older styles due to a hidden societal regression. He uses this to discuss broader shifts in aesthetic preferences across various art forms. The post examines several potential explanations for this shift, including changes in wealth signaling, elite tastes, religious influences, labor costs, and the split between high art and mass culture. Scott concludes by reflecting on the importance of understanding these changes, as they relate to broader questions of class, signaling, and how intellectual and cultural elites relate to society at large. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Paul Fussell's 1983 book 'Class', which analyzes America's informal class structure and its impact on behavior and preferences. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Paul Fussell's 1983 book 'Class', which examines the American class system. The book argues that America has a complex, informal class structure, dividing society into upper, middle, and working classes with various subclasses. Fussell describes the characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of each class in detail, often with a mix of seriousness and humor. The review highlights how some of Fussell's observations may still be relevant today, while others have aged poorly due to societal changes since the 1980s. Scott also discusses the book's unusual final chapter, which introduces a 'Class X' of people who supposedly transcend class distinctions. Shorter summary

Scott examines five potential mechanisms of cultural evolution, discussing their strengths and limitations, and concludes that they don't strongly justify preserving specific cultural features. Longer summary

This post discusses various ways cultural evolution can occur, based on comments from a previous post. It explores five scenarios: super-innovations allowing one culture to dominate others, differential breeding rates between groups, evolution of subcultures, accretion of beneficial practices, and prehistoric cultural evolution. Scott analyzes each scenario, noting their strengths and limitations. He concludes that while cultural evolution has potential to be interesting, it doesn't provide a strong argument for preserving specific cultural features without additional justification. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines violent children's songs from the past to discuss changing societal norms and the reliability of social science versus conventional wisdom. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on children's songs from past generations that featured violent themes about harming teachers and burning schools. He contrasts these with modern concerns about violent media influencing children. The post explores how these songs were once common and accepted, despite actual school shootings occurring. Scott uses this to discuss the reliability of social science, conventional wisdom, and how our perception of what's 'normal' can change over time. He argues that today's common sense often originates from yesterday's pop social science, making it difficult to recognize its origins. Shorter summary