Scott responds to three concerns about embryo selection: embryo personhood rights, loss of trait diversity, and the ethics of preventing disabilities, arguing that none of these objections are fatal to the technology. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to three major concerns about embryo selection raised in response to a previous post. First, he addresses whether embryos have personhood rights, arguing that embryos lack the qualities (consciousness, intelligence, etc) that make humans morally valuable. He refutes various counterarguments about potential personhood and responds to edge cases like sleeping hermits. Second, he discusses concerns about trait diversity, arguing that the technology's limited power and slow adoption mean diversity concerns are premature. Third, he addresses the ethics of telling disabled people you'd prefer they didn't exist, comparing it to other situations where we try to prevent certain conditions without devaluing existing people. Shorter summary

Through various thought experiments around the drowning child scenario, Scott critiques common moral frameworks and proposes using Rawls' 'original position' to develop a more coherent system of moral obligations. Longer summary

Scott explores the limitations of distance and entanglement in Peter Singer's drowning child thought experiment through several creative variations. He examines two descriptive theories that explain our moral intuitions: the Copenhagen interpretation of ethics (gaining moral obligation by 'touching' a situation) and declining marginal utility of moral goods. However, he argues against using these as prescriptive theories, showing through thought experiments how they lead to absurd outcomes. Instead, he proposes using Rawls' 'original position' as a framework: imagining pre-incarnation intelligences making deals about earthly moral obligations. This leads to a system where everyone contributes to a general pot for helping others, with local emergency obligations distributed based on proximity and ability to help, not moral luck. Shorter summary

A fictional story explores the consequences of seven people gaining superpowers from colored pills, leading to an attempt to read God's mind and ultimately a way to restart the universe. Longer summary

This post is a fictional story about seven people who take different colored pills that give them unique superpowers. The story follows each character's experiences with their new abilities, ranging from mind-reading to super-strength. It then brings the characters together in a plot to read God's mind using the Shroud of Turin, which leads to unexpected consequences. The story concludes with a far-future scenario where one character's superpower is used to restart the universe cycle. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander describes five fictional planets, each with a unique societal quirk that explores different sci-fi concepts and social commentary. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents five fictional planets with unique societal quirks, each exploring a different sci-fi concept. Gamma Andromeda has inhabitants who artificially balance their emotions, Zyzzx Prime's leaders lose intelligence upon gaining power, K'th'ranga V maintains a complex theocracy spanning different technological ages, Chan X-3's species focuses solely on gene preservation, and New Capricorn has achieved immortality but not halted aging. Each planet illustrates a thought-provoking scenario that combines elements of science fiction with social commentary and philosophical musings. Shorter summary

Scott proposes adapting DW-Nominate, a political spectrum analysis tool, to study morality through real-life decisions, exploring its potential implications and limitations. Longer summary

Scott proposes using a method similar to DW-Nominate, a tool used to calculate politicians' positions on the political spectrum, to investigate morality. He suggests applying this method to real-life moral decisions people make, from major choices to everyday actions. The post explores how this could potentially group people into 'good' and 'bad' categories, identify the most moral actions, and possibly provide insights into contentious moral issues. Scott also discusses how this method might work in morally inverted societies like Nazi Germany, presenting three hypothetical outcomes and their implications for understanding morality objectively. Shorter summary