The review analyzes Real Raw News, a popular conspiracy theory website, examining its content, appeal, and implications in the context of modern media consumption and AI technology. Longer summary

This book review analyzes the website Real Raw News, a popular source of conspiracy theories and fake news stories centered around Donald Trump and his alleged secret war against the 'Deep State'. The reviewer examines the site's content, its narrative techniques, and its appeal to believers, drawing parallels to comic book lore and discussing the psychological needs it fulfills. The review also considers the broader implications of such conspiracy theories in the age of AI-generated content. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander defends the practice of looking to idealized traditions for inspiration, arguing it's a common and useful human approach to creativity and innovation. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of tradition and how it's often misunderstood or criticized. He argues that references to the past or tradition are often just 'pointers' to specific aspects people appreciate, not necessarily an endorsement of everything from that era. He challenges the idea that past cultures didn't look back to idealized histories, providing examples from various periods showing how looking to an idealized past has been a common human practice. Scott suggests that using tradition as inspiration can be a psychologically easier way to introduce new ideas or practices than presenting them as entirely original. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores conflicting descriptions of Internal Family Systems therapy, questioning whether it involves trance-like states and real internal entities or more mundane visualization techniques. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the confusion surrounding Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, particularly regarding the nature of the 'parts' or entities encountered during sessions. He contrasts his understanding from a book review, which suggested a trance-like state where patients discover real internal entities, with feedback from IFS therapists who claim this description is exaggerated. Scott explores various perspectives, including quotes from therapists and a book on IFS, trying to reconcile these different views and understand how IFS actually works. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the effectiveness of education by analyzing knowledge retention, questioning the value of schooling beyond basic skills. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the effectiveness of education by examining how much factual knowledge people retain after schooling. He presents survey data showing that many adults, including college students, struggle to recall basic facts taught in school. The post explores why this might be, discussing the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve and spaced repetition. Scott proposes that people mainly remember information they encounter regularly in daily life, rather than what they learned in school. He concludes by questioning the usefulness of most schooling beyond basic skills, suggesting that cultural osmosis might be more effective for long-term knowledge retention. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores correlations between PMS symptoms and various beliefs and traits, finding significant connections that leave him puzzled. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses survey results related to PMS symptoms and their correlations with various beliefs and traits. He attempts to replicate findings from Aella's Twitter polls, which showed connections between PMS and belief in the supernatural, as well as neuroticism. Using data from the ACX survey, Scott finds significant correlations between PMS symptoms and belief in the supernatural, as well as anxiety levels. He explores potential explanations, including cultural influences and hormonal factors, and presents additional correlations found in the survey data. The post ends with Scott expressing confusion about the findings and inviting readers to replicate his work using the publicly available survey results. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a partial defense of 'therapy culture', comparing its focus on self-discovery to helping people overcome a form of 'preference alexithymia'. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'therapy culture' and its focus on finding one's 'true self'. He presents a defense of this approach by comparing it to alexithymia, a condition where people struggle to identify their emotions. Scott extends this idea to preferences, suggesting that some people might have a form of 'preference alexithymia'. In this light, therapy culture's emphasis on self-discovery could be seen as helping people recognize and understand their own preferences, rather than imposing artificial ones. However, he also acknowledges the potential risks of this approach, such as therapists potentially convincing people they have preferences they don't actually have. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander proposes that political hyperpartisanship might be a form of trauma, comparing PTSD symptoms to behaviors observed in political extremists. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the idea that political extremism might be a form of trauma. He compares symptoms of PTSD to behaviors observed in politically hyperpartisan individuals, such as triggers, distorted cognitions, and hypervigilance. The post discusses how trapped priors in the brain might explain both cognitive and emotional aspects of political extremism. Scott also considers the implications of framing political partisanship as trauma, including potential risks of expanding the concept of trauma. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander defends the concept of automaticity in psychology, arguing that core cognitive biases and priming effects are real, while acknowledging some claims have been overstated. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to a critique of automaticity in psychology, arguing that while some claims about cognitive biases and priming have been overstated, the core concepts are real and well-replicated. He provides examples of cognitive biases, priming effects, and nudges that have strong evidence behind them. Scott compares cognitive biases to optical illusions - real phenomena that affect our perception, but not in ways that make us completely helpless. He argues that automaticity is actually a very old idea about human nature, found in various philosophical and religious traditions. While we shouldn't see ourselves as completely controlled by unconscious forces, Scott suggests that accepting some level of automaticity in our cognition is both realistic and not necessarily problematic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander addresses comments on his fetish and AI post, defending his comparison of gender debates to addiction and discussing various theories on fetish formation and their implications for AI. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his post about fetishes and AI, addressing criticisms of his introductory paragraph comparing gender debates to opioid addiction, discussing alternative theories of fetish formation, and highlighting interesting comments on personal fetish experiences and implications for AI development. He defends his stance on the addictive nature of gender debates, argues for the use of puberty blockers, and explores various theories on fetish development and their potential relevance to AI alignment and development. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that describable dating preferences are valuable, despite studies suggesting otherwise, by pointing out flaws in research and emphasizing real-world evidence. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques studies suggesting that describable preferences are useless in dating, arguing that common sense and empirical evidence show otherwise. He points out flaws in these studies, such as pre-sorted populations and brief evaluation periods, and suggests that while initial attraction might be random, similar interests and personalities likely lead to lasting relationships. Scott also discusses the value of dating profiles and 'dating docs' in conveying subjective preferences that can't be easily quantified in psychological exams. He concludes that for people who believe they can use describable preferences effectively, these tools remain valuable despite average trends in the general population. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the difficulties in contextualizing statistics, providing numerous examples to show how the same data can be presented to seem significant or trivial. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of putting statistical findings into context, showing how different comparisons can make the same statistic seem either significant or trivial. He provides numerous examples of effect sizes and correlations from various fields to illustrate this point. The post aims to promote awareness of how statistics can be manipulated and encourages readers to be vigilant when interpreting contextual comparisons. Scott also acknowledges the limitations of using standardized effect sizes but argues for their utility in certain situations where more specific measures are difficult to comprehend. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why some people don't respond to 'woo' practices, questioning whether non-responders are defective or if woo itself might be ineffective or even harmful. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'woo' (alternative wellness and spirituality practices) and explores different possibilities for why some people might not respond to these practices. He presents four possibilities: 1) Woo is universally great but harder for some people due to being 'dissociated from bodily experiences', 2) Different people process emotions differently and woo works better for some than others, 3) Woo treats a specific defect of storing emotions in the body, and 4) Woo correlates with a specific defect but doesn't actually help. Scott provides evidence and counterarguments for each possibility, drawing on psychological theories, cross-cultural observations, and personal anecdotes. He concludes by highlighting the difficulty in determining whether practices like woo are helpful coping mechanisms or potentially harmful risk factors for mentally unhealthy individuals. Shorter summary

Scott examines why fantasy universes share common elements, arguing they're designed to let ordinary people imagine becoming heroes without exceptional skills. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the psychology behind fantasy universes, arguing that their common elements are optimized to allow ordinary people to imagine themselves as world-saving heroes. He explores how various tropes, such as hidden heirs to the throne, magical abilities tied to bloodlines, and ancient civilizations, serve to empower average protagonists without requiring exceptional skills or agency. The post critiques the lack of originality in many fantasy settings and suggests that the genre's conventions are designed to fulfill specific psychological needs rather than simply being derivative of Tolkien. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander announces the 2022 ACX Survey, highlighting past findings and offering incentives for participation. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the 2022 ACX Survey, an annual reader survey that helps him understand his audience and investigate interesting hypotheses. He highlights some findings from previous years, estimates the survey will take 20-40 minutes to complete, and offers free one-year paid subscriptions to five randomly-selected respondents as an incentive. The survey will be open until January 15, and readers are encouraged to report any problems in the comments. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that selection bias, while a concern, is not a valid reason to automatically reject amateur online surveys, as professional studies also face similar limitations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the issue of selection bias in amateur online surveys, arguing that it's not a valid reason to dismiss their results outright. He points out that professional scientific studies also suffer from selection bias, often using unrepresentative samples like psychology students. The post explains that while selection bias is problematic for polls or census-like studies aiming to determine population-wide statistics, it's less of an issue for correlation studies. Scott argues that the key is to consider the mechanism being studied and how it might generalize, rather than dismissing studies based solely on their sample selection method. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the Forer Effect, reframing common 'psychic' statements as insights about human nature and self-compassion tools. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the Forer Effect, a psychological trick used by astrologers and psychics. He analyzes a list of Forer statements, explaining why they seem accurate to most people. Scott then reframes these statements as potential updates to our understanding of others and as self-compassionate affirmations. He discusses how this relates to concepts of 'normies' and 'neurotypicals', and questions whether the perceived differences between these groups and others are real or imagined. The post ends with uncertainty about whether certain groups truly experience less interiority or if it's a matter of differing communication styles. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander describes a now-closed reader survey project supporting ACX community studies, with instructions on survey completion and content warnings. Longer summary

Scott Alexander is conducting a reader survey project to support studies by ACX community members. The post provides instructions for readers to fill out multiple surveys, starting with a general demographic survey and then proceeding based on their birth date. The surveys cover various topics, some targeted at specific populations. Scott notes that some surveys deal with sensitive topics and advises readers to skip any that make them uncomfortable. He also mentions that the project is now closed and no further responses will be counted. Shorter summary

A critical review of Rutger Bregman's 'Humankind', analyzing its argument that human nature is fundamentally good, while highlighting both flaws and valuable insights in the book. Longer summary

This review critiques Rutger Bregman's book 'Humankind', which argues that human nature is fundamentally good. The reviewer analyzes Bregman's arguments, pointing out logical inconsistencies and cherry-picked data, while also acknowledging some valuable insights. The book covers topics such as human behavior during crises, the nature of empathy and power, and alternative approaches to management and democracy. The review concludes that while Bregman's thesis has flaws, his core message about trusting and respecting others more has merit. Shorter summary

The review critically examines and then steelmans Robert Wright's claims about meditation and enlightenment in 'Why Buddhism Is True', concluding with personal reflections on meditation's effects. Longer summary

This review of Robert Wright's 'Why Buddhism Is True' explores the book's central claim that meditation can free us from evolutionary illusions and lead to enlightenment. The reviewer initially presents a critical view, questioning whether Wright's version of enlightenment might lead to a nihilistic state. However, the review then steelmans Wright's arguments, suggesting that meditation could potentially lead to a more morally aware state by strengthening 'calm passions' and removing craving and aversion. The reviewer concludes by sharing personal experiences from a meditation retreat that align with Wright's more optimistic vision, while acknowledging the subjective nature of these experiences. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander proposes a Bayesian theory of willpower as a process of weighing evidence from different mental processes to determine actions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander proposes a new Bayesian theory of willpower, disagreeing with previous models like glucose depletion, opportunity cost minimization, and mental agent conflicts. He suggests willpower is a process of weighing evidence from different mental processes: a prior on motionlessness, reinforcement learning, and conscious calculations. The basal ganglia then resolves this evidence to determine actions. Scott explores how this model explains the effects of dopaminergic drugs on willpower and discusses implications for understanding mental illness and productivity. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'trapped priors' as a fundamental problem in rationality, explaining how it leads to persistent biases and suggesting potential solutions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'trapped priors' as a fundamental problem in rationality. He explains how the brain combines raw experience with context to produce perceptions, and how this process can lead to cognitive biases and phobias. The article discusses how trapped priors can make it difficult for people to update their beliefs, even in the face of contradictory evidence. Scott also examines how this concept applies to political biases and suggests potential ways to overcome trapped priors. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines mental disorders through the lens of dynamical systems theory, exploring how this perspective complements and contrasts with taxometric approaches. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of mental disorders as dynamical systems with attractor states, contrasting this with the taxometric approach. He uses examples like Alice's health insurance situation and Bob's depression to illustrate how complex systems can have stable states that attract nearby unstable situations. The post discusses how this perspective can help understand the nature of depression and other mental disorders, showing how they can be both dimensional and categorical. Scott also draws parallels between the complexity of mental disorders and the global economy, emphasizing the intricate interconnections and the difficulty of predicting outcomes or effective interventions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander maintains a list of significant mistakes in his blog posts, providing corrections and updates in reverse chronological order. Longer summary

Scott Alexander maintains a list of significant mistakes he has made in his blog posts, providing corrections and updates. He acknowledges errors in data interpretation, misunderstandings of studies, incorrect predictions, and instances where he changed his mind based on new evidence or reader feedback. The list is presented in reverse chronological order and covers a wide range of topics including medicine, economics, psychology, and social issues. Shorter summary

The post explores how emotional learning creates hard-to-update mental models, drawing parallels between psychotherapy, psychedelics, and rationality techniques in overcoming these 'mental mountains'. Longer summary

This post discusses the book 'Unlocking The Emotional Brain' (UtEB) and its implications for understanding biases and mental processes. The author explores how emotional learning creates unconscious predictive models that guide behavior, and how these models can be difficult to update even in the face of contradictory evidence. The post draws parallels between UtEB's approach, psychedelic therapy, and rationality techniques, suggesting that they all aim to overcome mental 'mountains' that separate different areas of knowledge or belief. The author proposes that these mental separations might be a necessary feature of how our brains generalize from experiences, but can also lead to problems like cognitive biases and psychiatric symptoms. The post concludes by considering how this framework might help understand and address deeply held but irrational beliefs. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander uses the Jewish legend of the Chamber of Guf as a metaphor for subconscious thoughts, exploring its implications for behavior, OCD, and self-defeating thoughts. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of the Chamber of Guf, a Jewish legend about a pit of proto-souls, and uses it as a metaphor for subconscious thoughts. He explores how this relates to behavior selection in the brain, the effects of dopamine on thought patterns, and various forms of OCD. The post delves into how anxiety can affect thought selection, leading to conditions like Gay OCD, and suggests that similar processes might be behind self-defeating thoughts. Scott also touches on how meditation might allow direct access to this subconscious realm of thoughts. Shorter summary