Scott examines a paradox where bloomers and anti-doomers warn against apocalyptic thinking while treating doomerism itself as an unprecedented existential crisis requiring drastic action. Longer summary

Scott analyzes Jason Pargin's novel 'I'm Starting To Worry About This Black Box Of Doom' and similar arguments from Peter Thiel, Tyler Cowen, and progress studies advocates, noting they all share a contradiction: they argue we should stop treating problems as unprecedented crises, except for the problem of treating problems as crises, which they present as uniquely dangerous. The post examines how these thinkers simultaneously advocate against doomerism while expressing extreme concern about doomerism itself. Scott argues this reveals that strong views about a 'crisis of doomerism' are incompatible with worldviews that reject the existence of real crises, and concludes that optimism should be a heuristic rather than an absolute principle, with problems (including excessive doomerism) evaluated based on evidence using consistent standards. Shorter summary

Daniel Böttger shares his traumatic medical experiences and develops a theory about 'survival-oriented' vs 'thriving-oriented' systems based on computer science concepts, offering insights for improving collaboration. Longer summary

Daniel Böttger recounts a series of traumatic medical experiences, starting with a car crash that led to the discovery of a brain tumor. He describes his struggles with epilepsy, intense pain, and fear, as well as his interactions with medical professionals. Through these experiences, he develops a theory about the fundamental differences between 'survival-oriented' and 'thriving-oriented' systems, based on the concept of space-efficient vs. time-efficient algorithms from computer science. He proposes that this theory explains many conflicts and communication difficulties in various domains, from healthcare to politics, and offers suggestions for improving collaboration between these different types of systems. Shorter summary

The post details the economic and relationship systems of Raikoth, a fictional society designed to optimize for goodness and weirdness. Longer summary

This post describes two aspects of Raikoth, a fictional society: its economics and relationships. The economic system is based on a basic income guarantee with minimal government intervention, using a basket of taxes including land taxes, estate taxes, and taxes on large corporations. The relationship system involves an annual festival called Temion Mirun, where a computer algorithm matches people for year-long 'handfastings'. These can lead to more permanent marriages with various contract options. The author notes that this society is designed to optimize for goodness while erring on the side of weirdness, in contrast to real-world approaches that prioritize safety. Shorter summary