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Mar 09, 2023
acx

Give Up Seventy Percent Of The Way Through The Hyperstitious Slur Cascade

21 min • 2,868 words • 1,440 comments • 552 likes • podcast (16 min)
Scott Alexander explores the concept of hyperstitious slurs, showing how words and actions become offensive through belief, and discusses when to adopt new language norms. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of hyperstitious slurs, which are words or phrases that become offensive primarily because people believe they are offensive. He explains how this process works, using examples like the word 'Jap' and 'Negro'. The post then extends this concept to actions, images, and even facts, showing how they can become signals of offensive intent through similar processes. Scott criticizes the unnecessary creation of new slurs, like banning 'field work' in academia, and discusses his personal approach to adopting new language norms. He suggests joining these cascades about 70% of the way through as a compromise between principle and self-preservation. Shorter summary
Jan 30, 2017
ssc

Book Review: Eichmann In Jerusalem

63 min • 8,694 words • 855 comments
Scott Alexander reviews Hannah Arendt's 'Eichmann in Jerusalem', exploring key aspects of the Eichmann trial and the Holocaust, and reflecting on their implications. Longer summary
This post reviews Hannah Arendt's book 'Eichmann in Jerusalem', which covers the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Scott Alexander discusses five key aspects from the book: Eichmann's psychological profile, Nazi pre-war plans for Jews, varying responses of occupied nations to Nazi demands, the role of Jewish councils, and why more Germans didn't resist. The review explores the complexities of evil, the importance of resistance, and draws parallels to modern political situations, while being careful not to spoil Arendt's conclusions. Shorter summary
Jun 03, 2014
ssc

Asches to Asches

20 min • 2,790 words • 108 comments
A person repeatedly wakes up in a Matrix-like pod, being told different versions of reality about the concept of 'family' in a series of nested scenarios, ultimately revealed to be an alien experiment. Longer summary
This fictional story describes a series of nested simulations or scenarios where the protagonist repeatedly wakes up in a Matrix-like pod. Each time, they are told a different version of reality regarding the concept of 'family'. The story explores themes of conformity, belief systems, and the malleability of memory and perception. It ends with a twist revealing that the entire experiment was conducted by aliens seeking to understand optimal social arrangements, particularly regarding the concept of family. Shorter summary