Scott Alexander answers reader questions on various topics, including his projects, views, and personal preferences in a mailbag format. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to several reader questions in a mailbag-style post. He addresses topics such as publishing his book Unsong, the status of his Lorien Psychiatry business, future ACX Grants rounds, his progress on reading Nixonland, his views on AI risk, how to get involved in the rationalist/EA community, Straussian interpretations of his posts, and his refusal to go on podcasts. The responses vary in length and detail, with some providing specific information and others explaining his reasoning or personal preferences. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents and discusses diverse reader reactions to his review of 'Sadly, Porn', touching on the book's controversial ideas and writing style. Longer summary

Scott Alexander highlights and responds to various comments on his book review of 'Sadly, Porn' by The Last Psychiatrist. The comments cover a wide range of reactions, from strong praise to harsh criticism of the book and its ideas. Topics discussed include the book's obscurantism, its psychoanalytic perspective, the nature of advertising, people's thoughts on compliments, and various interpretations of the book's central themes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores reasons why some readers think his writing quality has declined, addressing various factors from idea exhaustion to intellectual progression. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to readers' claims that his writing quality has declined since 2013-2016. He explores several potential reasons, including having exhausted his backlog of ideas, the rationalist community's evolution, improved media quality, reduced need to criticize 'wokeness', psychological impacts of criticism, changing writing style with blog growth, and intellectual progression to more nuanced topics. He also addresses specific theories about selling out or being scared into submission, which he says don't match his experience. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares insights gained from writing a comprehensive post on lockdown effectiveness, highlighting the complexities and challenges of analyzing such a multifaceted issue. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on writing a comprehensive post about lockdown effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the challenges of addressing such a complex, multi-dimensional issue, including the difficulty of comparing different types of costs, the limitations of mathematical models, and the potential for bias in academic research. Scott also notes the varying pandemic experiences across different countries and regions, and the surprising involvement of rationalists and effective altruists in lockdown studies. He emphasizes the importance of considering alternative approaches beyond the typical pro/anti-lockdown debate, and the value of cross-disciplinary research in addressing complex issues. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander creates an interactive geographic-style map visualizing the landscape of effective altruism, including cause areas, organizations, and key individuals. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents a visual map of the effective altruism (EA) movement, inspired by his previous map of the rationalist diaspora. The map is organized as a geographical representation where continents represent cause areas, cities represent charities or organizations, and mountains represent influential individuals within the EA community. The interactive map includes clickable links with explanatory title-text for various elements. Scott acknowledges AG's assistance in setting up the imagemap functionality. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes survey data to investigate whether assortative mating among highly analytical people increases autism risk in their children, finding no significant evidence for this hypothesis. Longer summary

Scott Alexander investigates whether assortative mating among highly analytical people in Silicon Valley increases the risk of autism in their children. He uses data from the 2020 Slate Star Codex survey, which included 8,043 respondents from highly analytical backgrounds. The study found that while the sample had higher rates of autism (4-8%) than the general population (2.5-5%), there was no significant increase in autism rates among children of couples where both partners were highly analytical. The autism rate for children in the sample was 3.7-5.2%, with only 0.6% having severe autism. Scott concludes that while the study has limitations, it provides evidence against strong versions of the assortative mating hypothesis for autism risk. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander clarifies that his blog Slate Star Codex is not strictly representative of the rationalist community, and addresses common misconceptions about the blog's relationship to rationalism and effective altruism. Longer summary

Scott Alexander clarifies several points about his blog Slate Star Codex (SSC) and its relationship to the rationalist community. He emphasizes that SSC is not strictly a 'rationalist blog', comparing it to a 'rationalist picnic' rather than a 'rationalist monastery'. Scott expresses skepticism about claims of rationality's practical utility in everyday life, and points readers to other resources for more intensive rationalist and effective altruist content. He stresses that while he's not distancing himself from the rationalist community, SSC should not be seen as representative of or equivalent to the broader rationalist movement. The post aims to address common misconceptions and set appropriate expectations for readers. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews three books: a controversial psychotherapy text, an introduction to Lacan's philosophy, and a rationalist-themed fantasy novel. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews three books in this post. He starts with 'Method of Levels' by Timothy Carey, a book about psychotherapy based on perceptual control theory. Scott criticizes the book's extreme claims but finds some value in its approach. Next, he reviews 'How To Read Lacan' by Slavoj Zizek, finding it surprisingly readable but not entirely coherent. Lastly, he discusses 'The Steerswoman', a fantasy novel popular in the rationalist community, which he finds fun but not particularly deep. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander introduces the 'Psychiat-List', a crowd-sourced list of recommended mental health professionals for the rationalist community. Longer summary

Scott Alexander has created a list of mental health professionals recommended by members of the rationalist community, called the 'Psychiat-List'. The list is currently short and mostly focused on the Bay Area, but Scott is seeking crowd-sourced recommendations to expand it to more providers and cities. He encourages readers to provide additional recommendations, especially for cities likely to have many SSC readers, and to share experiences with professionals already on the list. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander evaluates his 2018 predictions, analyzing his accuracy and discussing factors that affected his performance. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews his predictions for 2018, made at the beginning of the year. He lists each prediction, marking those that came true, those that were false, and those he couldn't determine. Scott then analyzes his performance, presenting a calibration chart and discussing his accuracy at different confidence levels. He notes that he performed poorly on 50% predictions and 95% predictions. Scott attributes some of his inaccuracies to two unexpected events: the cryptocurrency crash and a personal breakup, which affected multiple correlated predictions. He concludes by mentioning he'll post 2019 predictions soon and invites readers to share their own predictions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander showcases and advocates for 'sentimental cartography', the art of creating geographic-style maps for non-geographic concepts, presenting various modern examples and lamenting its relative obscurity. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the art of 'sentimental cartography', which involves creating geographic-style maps of non-geographic concepts. He presents several examples of modern sentimental cartography, including his own map of the rationalist community, James Turner's Map of Humanity and Map of Love, the Atlas of Experience, Martin Vargic's maps of the Internet and Literature, and maps based on song titles and films. Scott expresses frustration at the difficulty of finding these works and the lack of a proper name for this art form. He advocates for a revival of this Renaissance-era practice, which he finds valuable and underappreciated. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses how his blog contributes to developing rationality skills through analysis of complex issues and community discussion, despite not focusing directly on core rationality techniques. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on the role of his blog in the rationalist community's development of rationality skills. He compares rationality to a martial art or craft, requiring both theory and practice. While acknowledging that his blog often focuses on controversial topics rather than core rationality techniques, he argues that analyzing complex, contentious issues serves as valuable practice for honing rationality skills. He suggests that through repeated engagement with difficult problems, readers can develop intuitions and refine their ability to apply rationality techniques. Scott emphasizes the importance of community discussion in this process, highlighting how reader comments contribute to his own learning and updating of beliefs. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares his 100 predictions for 2018 on topics like politics, economics, technology, and personal goals, with assigned probabilities for each. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents his annual predictions for 2018, covering various topics including US politics, economics, technology, culture wars, the rationalist community, and personal matters. He makes 100 predictions with assigned probabilities, ranging from political outcomes to personal goals. The post includes predictions about Donald Trump's presidency, cryptocurrency prices, SpaceX launches, and the growth of Scott's blog. He also mentions some secret predictions about friends' personal lives. Scott explains his methodology and notes some predictions he already believes may be miscalibrated. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander posts a classified thread and advertises rationalist community housing in Berkeley, describing four available houses and inviting applications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces another classified thread for ads, personals, and success stories. He then provides a detailed advertisement for rationalist community housing in Berkeley. The post describes four available houses near an existing cluster of rationalist group homes on Ward Street. Scott explains the community's desire to create a center for their movement in this area. He invites interested parties, both existing community members and newcomers, to apply for entire houses or single rooms. The post concludes with a disclaimer about the Bay Area's high costs, politics, and mixed experiences within the rationalist community. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander completes his medical residency and announces his return to San Francisco, reflecting on his experiences and his enduring connection to the rationalist community there. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on completing his four-year medical residency in Michigan. He expresses gratitude for his hospital, colleagues, and the experiences he gained. Despite the positive aspects of his time there, he emphasizes that his true connection lies with the rationalist community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Scott reveals that he has accepted a psychiatrist position in San Francisco and is moving back to what he considers the 'greatest metropolitan area in the world'. He looks forward to reuniting with his intellectual community, which he views as his 'karass' - a group brought together for a higher purpose. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents and analyzes the results of the 2017 Slate Star Codex reader survey, revealing demographic and psychological insights about the blog's audience. Longer summary

Scott Alexander presents the results of the 2017 Slate Star Codex (SSC) reader survey, which gathered responses from 5,500 people. The post provides detailed breakdowns of demographics, opinions, and various psychological and behavioral traits of SSC readers. Scott also compares some of these results to a smaller sample of Mechanical Turk users. The data reveals interesting insights about the SSC readership, including their political leanings, educational background, and mental health statistics. Scott encourages readers to further analyze the publicly available dataset. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents 105 predictions for 2017 on topics ranging from world events to personal life, each with an assigned probability. Longer summary

Scott Alexander makes 105 predictions for 2017 on various topics including world events, European politics, economics, the Trump administration, online communities, his work, and personal life. The predictions cover a wide range of subjects from geopolitical events to personal milestones, each assigned a probability. The post is structured as a numbered list, with predictions grouped into categories such as 'World Events', 'Europe', 'Economics', 'Trump Administration', 'Communities', 'Work', and 'Personal'. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines tribalism, arguing that ideologies often serve as 'rallying flags' for tribes rather than defining their core identity. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of tribalism, arguing that ideologies and beliefs often serve as 'rallying flags' for tribes rather than being the core of what defines them. He examines various examples including religious sects, disability communities, and online subcultures to illustrate how tribes form, develop, and sometimes dissolve. The post suggests that understanding groups as tribes with historical context rather than purely ideological entities can provide insight into many social phenomena and conflicts. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the problem of endless, unproductive arguments in online communities and proposes ways to mitigate them while maintaining healthy discourse. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the problem of interminable arguments in online communities, particularly within rationalist circles. He argues that while it's important to challenge beliefs and seek out counterarguments, this can lead to repetitive, unproductive debates that people feel obligated to engage in. The post explores reasons why people get drawn into these arguments, such as feeling the need to correct misinformation, responding to insults, or defending against attempts to marginalize their views. Scott suggests several ways to mitigate this issue, including blocking trolls, being more tolerant of newbies, recognizing asymmetrical debate burdens, and emphasizing that there's no obligation to defend one's position on demand. He proposes moving discussions to private channels or longer-form content as potential solutions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares a collection of mostly critical and often insulting testimonials about his blog Slate Star Codex, revealing the diverse and polarized reactions to his work. Longer summary

Scott Alexander shares a collection of testimonials and feedback he has received about his blog Slate Star Codex over three years. The post presents a wide range of opinions, many of which are highly critical, insulting, or dismissive. The feedback touches on various aspects of Scott's writing, personality, and the blog's community. Some comments praise his intelligence while criticizing his verbosity or political stance. Others mock his writing style, accuse him of censorship, or make personal attacks. The testimonials reveal the diverse and often polarized reactions to Scott's work, ranging from admiration to outright hostility. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses how figure/ground illusions in ideological debates can make balanced representation appear biased, using examples from effective altruism and AI risk. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of figure/ground illusions in ideological debates, particularly in the context of effective altruism and AI risk. He argues that when a previously marginalized view gains equal footing with more mainstream perspectives, it can appear dominant due to this illusion. The post uses examples from effective altruism, the blog's comment section, and Scott's own reputation to illustrate how balanced representation can be misperceived as bias. He suggests that this phenomenon might explain why some people view AI risk as dominating effective altruism, despite evidence to the contrary. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander defends Less Wrong and Eliezer Yudkowsky against accusations of being anti-scientific, arguing that developing rational thinking skills beyond traditional scientific methods is valuable and necessary. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Topher Hallquist's criticism of Less Wrong and Eliezer Yudkowsky as being 'anti-scientific rationality'. Scott argues that Hallquist's criticisms are often unfair or inaccurate, taking quotes out of context or misunderstanding Yudkowsky's positions. He defends the rationalist community's efforts to develop better thinking tools that go beyond traditional scientific methods, while still respecting science. Scott contends that developing an 'Art of Thinking Clearly' is valuable and necessary, especially for experts who have to make difficult judgments. He argues Less Wrong is not against science, but wants to strengthen and supplement it with additional rational thinking skills. Shorter summary

The post analyzes survey data to examine if effective altruism attracts people with mental disorders, finding slightly higher rates of autism but no evidence of unusual self-hate or scrupulosity. Longer summary

This post examines the theory that effective altruism (EA) attracts people with mental disorders. The author analyzes data from a Less Wrong survey, comparing rates of mental illness between EA and non-EA respondents. The findings show that EAs have similar levels of anxiety and OCD, slightly higher rates of depression, and significantly higher rates of autism compared to non-EAs. The post also discusses the relationship between consequentialism, gender, and EA, noting that EAs are much more consequentialist than non-EAs. The author concludes that while EAs may be slightly more autistic, they are not unusually self-hating or scrupulous compared to other rationalists, though both groups may differ from the general population in various ways. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of community growth, relating his experiences with micronations and rationalist groups to theories about natural group size limits. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on his experiences with micronations and the Bay Area rationalist community, noting that both faced difficulties in growing beyond a certain size. He connects these observations to Samo's research on Dunbar's number and its potential extensions. The post explores the idea of natural group size limits at different scales (e.g., 12, 150, 1000, 90,000 people) and how these might relate to social structures like families, clans, tribes, and city-states. While Scott expresses skepticism about the universality of these exact numbers across different contexts, he acknowledges the apparent difficulty many communities face in growing beyond certain thresholds. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander evaluates his 2014 predictions, finding himself well-calibrated across various confidence levels, and jokingly declares himself trustworthy on all matters. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews his predictions for 2014, made at the start of that year, and evaluates his calibration. He lists 59 predictions covering various topics including politics, world events, personal life, and the rationalist community. Each prediction is marked as a success or failure. Scott then provides a breakdown of his accuracy at different confidence levels, from 50% to 99%. The results show that he was well-calibrated across all levels, with perfect accuracy for predictions at 90% confidence and above. He concludes by declaring himself 'impressively well-calibrated' and jokingly suggests that he should be trusted about everything. The post ends with a mention that 2015 predictions will be coming soon. Shorter summary