Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why top students attend the best colleges, including optimistic views about maximizing potential and cynical views about signaling and 'privilege laundering'. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the question of why top students are sent to the best colleges, presenting both optimistic and cynical explanations. He discusses the potential benefits of matching high-performing students with expert teachers, but also considers the signaling theory of education. The post delves into a fascinating hypothesis about elite colleges functioning as 'privilege laundering' machines, mixing meritocratic and privileged students to create a universally recognized signal of merit. Scott examines the potential advantages and drawbacks of this system, concluding that while imperfect, it may be preferable to alternatives that completely disregard merit. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'The Cult of Smart' by Freddie DeBoer, praising its main arguments while criticizing several aspects, particularly DeBoer's stance on education reform. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Freddie DeBoer's book 'The Cult of Smart', which argues that intelligence is largely innate and that society's obsession with academic achievement is misguided. The review praises the book's main theses but criticizes DeBoer's arguments on race, meritocracy, and education reform. Alexander particularly takes issue with DeBoer's support for expanding public education despite acknowledging its limitations, leading to a passionate critique of the school system as harmful to children. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the history of increasing competitiveness in college admissions, analyzing causes and questioning whether the focus on elite college admission is justified. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the history of college admissions and the increasing competitiveness in recent years. He traces the evolution from a time when top colleges admitted almost anyone qualified to the current highly competitive landscape. The post examines various factors contributing to this change, including increased applications per student, changing demographics, and shifts in evaluation criteria. Scott also investigates whether the intense focus on college admissions is justified, given research suggesting that attending a selective college may not significantly impact most students' long-term outcomes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various criticisms of meritocracy from commenters, arguing that despite its flaws, meritocracy is preferable to alternatives like cronyism. Longer summary

This post discusses various criticisms and concerns about meritocracy raised in the comments of a previous article. Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to several key points, including the definition of meritocracy, its application in different fields, potential negative consequences, and alternatives. He addresses concerns about meritocracy creating a disconnected elite class, stripping lower classes of leadership, and the challenges of truly implementing a merit-based system. Scott argues that while meritocracy has flaws, it's still preferable to alternatives like cronyism, and criticizes some anti-meritocracy arguments as being utopian or impractical. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander defends true meritocracy against misguided critiques, arguing for a system based on demonstrated ability rather than educational credentials. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to various articles criticizing meritocracy, arguing that these critiques often misunderstand the concept. He defines true meritocracy as positions going to those most capable, regardless of their background or education. The post argues that the current system, which heavily relies on educational credentials, is not truly meritocratic. Scott suggests that fields should focus more on demonstrated ability rather than formal education, using programming as a positive example. He emphasizes the importance of defending the term 'meritocracy' to maintain a clear alternative to the current flawed system. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reposts his 'Non-Libertarian FAQ' critiquing libertarian philosophy and arguments, noting it no longer fully reflects his current views. Longer summary

This post is a reposting of Scott Alexander's 'Non-Libertarian FAQ' (aka 'Why I Hate Your Freedom'), which he wrote about 5 years prior. The FAQ aims to provide a comprehensive critique of libertarian philosophy and arguments. It covers economic issues like externalities and market failures, social issues like social mobility and taxation, political issues like government competence and specific policy areas, and moral issues around rights and consequentialism. The author notes that this version no longer fully reflects his current views and is being reposted by popular request and for historical interest. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines different models of social class in America, exploring their implications for understanding society and politics. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses various perspectives on social class in America, focusing on the distinction between economic and social class. He summarizes and compares several models of class structure, including those by Siderea, Michael Church, and Unqualified Reservations. The post explores how these models relate to political views, cultural signifiers, and social mobility. Scott also reflects on how class intersects with other factors like politics, race, and education, and considers the implications of class analysis for understanding social phenomena and policy outcomes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques Ezra Klein's argument that white Americans have benefited from compound interest on wealth stolen from African Americans, citing evidence that wealth rarely persists across generations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques an article by Ezra Klein on Vox about compound interest and reparations. Klein argues that white Americans have benefited from centuries of compound interest on wealth stolen from African Americans. Scott challenges this view with two main arguments. First, he points out that former slave-owning states are now among the poorest in the US. Second, he cites research showing that wealth rarely persists across more than a few generations. Scott discusses studies on social mobility and a Cherokee land lottery to support his point that family wealth tends to regress to the mean over time. He concludes by criticizing Vox for oversimplifying a complex issue and ignoring important research in economics and sociology. Shorter summary

Scott shares a diverse collection of interesting links and brief commentary on topics ranging from unusual video games to genetic research and political oddities. Longer summary

This post is a collection of interesting links and brief commentary on various topics. It covers a range of subjects including unusual video games, disease threat research, medical concerns about Tylenol use during pregnancy, questionable online dating sites, car-free cities, the relationship between intelligence and longevity, augmented reality games, historical enigmas, genetic editing techniques, political oddities, social mobility research, and unusual election tactics. The tone is informative and sometimes humorous, with Scott providing his thoughts and observations on each item. Shorter summary