Scott Alexander shares memorable anecdotes from Masha Gessen's Putin biography, highlighting Russian politics, culture, and Putin's character. Longer summary

This post is a collection of memorable passages from Masha Gessen's book 'The Man Without A Face', a biography of Vladimir Putin. Scott Alexander shares several anecdotes that stood out to him, covering topics such as Soviet-era activism, corruption in Russian politics, Putin's personal life, the Russian national anthem's history, challenges faced by opposition candidates, and Gessen's personal encounter with Putin. The passages provide insight into Russian politics, culture, and Putin's character, often with a touch of irony or absurdity. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the concept of 'Kolmogorov complicity' and its implications for scientific inquiry under oppressive orthodoxies, using historical and hypothetical examples. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'Kolmogorov complicity' in relation to historical and contemporary scientific orthodoxies. He begins by examining myths about scientists persecuted by the Church, noting that while some scientists were indeed punished, it was often for reasons beyond their scientific work. The post then discusses the 'Kolmogorov option,' where scientists strategically comply with political demands while privately pursuing truth. Alexander argues that this approach, while sometimes necessary, can lead to systemic problems in truth-seeking and education. He uses a hypothetical scenario about lightning and thunder to illustrate how even a seemingly harmless orthodoxy can corrupt scientific inquiry and societal knowledge. The post concludes by suggesting the need for 'whisper networks' to maintain truth-seeking in the face of problematic orthodoxies, while acknowledging the challenges and risks involved in such an approach. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Malcolm Muggeridge's autobiography, examining his experiences exposing Stalin's regime and the West's willful ignorance of Soviet crimes. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Malcolm Muggeridge's autobiography 'Chronicles of Wasted Time', focusing on Muggeridge's experiences as a journalist in the Soviet Union during Stalin's regime and his later disillusionment with socialism. The review highlights Muggeridge's cynical worldview, his role in exposing Stalin's atrocities, and the widespread willful ignorance of Western intellectuals towards Soviet crimes. Scott reflects on the importance of contrarianism and rationality in evaluating evidence, while also noting Muggeridge's later questionable stances on other issues. Shorter summary

Scott reviews 'Red Plenty', a book about Soviet economic planning, discussing its initial promise, challenges, and ultimate failure. Longer summary

Scott reviews the book 'Red Plenty', which explores the history of socialist economic planning in the Soviet Union. The book describes how Soviet leaders and economists believed communism could outperform capitalism in economic growth, and their attempts to implement scientific planning methods. Scott discusses the allocation problems in the Soviet economy, the potential of linear programming and cybernetics to solve these issues, and how political factors ultimately prevented their successful implementation. He reflects on the attractiveness of communism to technically-minded people and the tragedy of its failure in practice. Shorter summary