How to avoid getting lost reading Scott Alexander and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Oct 13, 2022
acx

Highlights From The Comments On The Central Valley

50 min • 6,409 words • 141 comments • 60 likes • podcast
Scott Alexander shares and responds to reader comments on his article about California's Central Valley, offering diverse perspectives on life and challenges in the region. Longer summary
This post is a collection of reader comments on Scott Alexander's original article about the Central Valley in California. It includes various perspectives from residents and former residents, discussing topics like housing costs, air quality, crime, agriculture, water rights, commuting patterns, and cultural amenities. The comments offer a mix of criticisms and defenses of life in the Central Valley, providing nuance and additional context to Scott's original analysis. Shorter summary
Jun 23, 2022
acx

Book Review: San Fransicko

197 min • 25,531 words • 899 comments • 186 likes • podcast
A detailed review of Michael Shellenberger's 'San Fransicko', examining its critiques of San Francisco's progressive policies on homelessness, drugs, and crime. Longer summary
This post reviews Michael Shellenberger's book 'San Fransicko', which criticizes progressive policies on homelessness, drug addiction, and crime in San Francisco. The review examines key claims in the book, fact-checking statistics and comparing them to other sources. While finding some of Shellenberger's criticisms valid, the review also points out areas where the book presents a one-sided narrative or misrepresents data. Overall, the reviewer sees the book as a flawed but thought-provoking critique of San Francisco's approach to urban problems. Shorter summary
Jan 15, 2016
ssc

Lies, Damned Lies, And The Media (Part 6 of ∞)

19 min • 2,372 words • 422 comments • podcast
Scott Alexander dissects and criticizes Breitbart's misleading use of statistics about illegal immigrant crime, emphasizing the need for better understanding and interpretation of data in political debates. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques a Breitbart article about illegal immigrant crime statistics, pointing out numerous flaws in their reasoning and use of data. He highlights how the article misinterprets or misrepresents statistics, fails to provide necessary context, and makes illogical conclusions. Scott argues that while there may be legitimate concerns about illegal immigration, the article's approach is misleading and unhelpful. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing flawed arguments on both sides of political debates, rather than assuming one's opponents are simply gullible. Shorter summary
May 19, 2015
ssc

Beware Summary Statistics

6 min • 657 words • 215 comments • podcast
Scott Alexander explores how summary statistics can be misleading when describing relationships between variables, using examples of IQ's correlation with crime and income. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses two examples where summary statistics can be misleading. The first example involves the relationship between IQ and crime, where a large difference in average IQ between offenders and non-offenders coexists with a low correlation coefficient. The second example concerns the relationship between IQ and income, where substantial differences in average income across IQ deciles coexist with a relatively low correlation coefficient. In both cases, Scott emphasizes the importance of looking beyond summary statistics and considering the full distribution of data, potentially by examining scatter plots. Shorter summary
Aug 28, 2014
ssc

More Links For August

19 min • 2,385 words • 176 comments • podcast
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links on topics ranging from politics and economics to scientific studies, offering brief commentaries and critiques. Longer summary
This post is a collection of interesting links and brief commentaries on various topics. Scott Alexander covers a wide range of subjects including politics, science, social issues, and economics. He discusses studies on poverty traps, the relationship between poverty and crime, and the effects of marijuana legalization. The post also includes quirky facts, book reviews, and observations on cultural phenomena. Scott's tone is analytical and often skeptical, particularly when discussing scientific studies and their interpretations. Shorter summary
Apr 19, 2013
ssc

I do not understand “rape culture”

24 min • 2,995 words • 80 comments • podcast
Scott Alexander critiques the concept of 'rape culture', arguing that society actually treats rape more seriously than many other crimes, contrary to what the term implies. Longer summary
Scott Alexander expresses confusion and skepticism about the term 'rape culture'. He examines five claims associated with the concept and argues against each one, concluding that society actually treats rape as particularly heinous compared to other crimes. He discusses how the criminal justice system handles rape cases, victim-blaming behaviors, sexual objectification, and the disproportionate attention given to rape compared to other issues. The post uses various examples and statistics to support its arguments, maintaining that the concept of 'rape culture' is misguided and contradicts observable societal attitudes towards rape. Shorter summary