Scott Alexander explores various commenters' insights on the neuroscience of reward, happiness, and relationships, expanding on his original post about unpredictable rewards. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses highlights from comments on his post 'Unpredictable Reward, Predictable Happiness', covering topics such as neuroscience of reward, dopamine, and relationships. He explores various perspectives on how the brain processes rewards, predictions, and happiness, including insights from neuroscientists, psychologists, and personal anecdotes. The post touches on topics like abusive relationships, polyamory, wealth and happiness, and the cognitive burden of poverty. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander investigates the reasons behind the extreme poverty in California's Central Valley, comparing it to Mississippi and analyzing various contributing factors. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the economic decline of California's Central Valley, comparing it to Mississippi in terms of poverty. He investigates various factors contributing to the region's struggles, including agricultural practices, immigration patterns, mechanization, and environmental issues. The post analyzes historical data, local perspectives, and economic indicators to understand when and why the Central Valley's situation deteriorated, concluding that while the causes are complex and not fully clear, the region's poverty is a stark contrast to California's overall wealth. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming cash payments to poor mothers increased infant brain function, highlighting statistical and methodological issues that undermine its positive conclusions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a recent study claiming that cash payments to low-income mothers increased brain function in babies. He points out several issues with the study, including the loss of statistical significance after adjusting for multiple comparisons, potential artifacts in EEG data visualization, and deviations from pre-registered analysis plans. He also discusses the broader context of research on poverty and cognition, noting the difficulty in finding shared environmental effects and the tendency for studies in this field to be flawed or overhyped. Scott concludes that while the study doesn't prove cash grants don't affect children's EEGs, it essentially shows no effect and should not have been reported as an unqualified positive result. Shorter summary

The review analyzes Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London', praising its vivid depictions of poverty while noting some limitations in perspective. Longer summary

This review analyzes George Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London', a memoir of his experiences living in poverty in both cities. The reviewer praises Orwell's vivid descriptions and insights into the lives of the poor, while noting some limitations in Orwell's perspective. The book is divided into sections on Paris, where Orwell worked grueling jobs in restaurant kitchens, and London, where he lived as a tramp relying on shelters. The review highlights Orwell's observations on the psychological impacts of poverty, the failings of charity and welfare systems, and societal attitudes towards the poor. It also discusses how some aspects of poverty and homelessness have changed since Orwell's time. Shorter summary

Henry George's 'Progress and Poverty' argues that private land ownership and rent cause persistent poverty, and proposes a land value tax as a solution. Longer summary

This review examines Henry George's book 'Progress and Poverty', which argues that poverty persists alongside economic progress due to private land ownership and rent-seeking. George proposes a land value tax as a solution to eliminate speculation, encourage efficient land use, and fund public goods. The review covers George's theories on wages, capital, rent, and criticisms of prevailing economic ideas like Malthusianism. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews analyses of various UBI plans, finding most unrealistic, then speculates on alternative approaches to implement UBI successfully. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses various Universal Basic Income (UBI) plans analyzed by Tumblr user squareallworthy. Most plans fail due to unrealistic funding schemes or insufficient amounts to lift people out of poverty. Scott then speculates on potential UBI implementations, suggesting a targeted approach focusing on poverty elimination through increased taxes on the wealthy. He also proposes a gradual implementation strategy tied to GDP growth, starting with a small amount and increasing over time. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues strongly for basic income over basic jobs guarantees, citing numerous advantages of basic income and potential pitfalls of basic jobs programs. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues strongly against the idea of a basic jobs guarantee, preferring a basic income guarantee instead. He presents 11 main arguments: 1) Basic jobs don't help the disabled, 2) They don't help caretakers, 3) They don't help parents, 4) Jobs are actually a big cause of poverty, 5) Basic jobs may not pay for themselves through useful work, 6) It's hard to deal with bad workers in a basic jobs system, 7) It's hard for workers to escape bad workplaces, 8) Basic income could fix private industry while basic jobs could destroy it, 9) Basic income supports personal development while basic jobs prevent it, 10) Basic income puts everyone on the same side while basic jobs preserve class divisions, and 11) Work itself is often unpleasant and meaningless. He then addresses counterarguments, including concerns about UBI's effects, the need for work to provide meaning, and the potential benefits of public works. Scott concludes that while basic jobs might be better than nothing, they risk hijacking the utopian potential of basic income and perpetuating many problems of the current system. Shorter summary

The post discusses comments on DC's low graduation rates, focusing on strict attendance policies, challenging teaching environments, and systemic issues in the school district. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on DC's low graduation rates, focusing on the strict attendance policy and its effects on students. The main issues discussed are the '80-20' rule, how it disproportionately affects poor and single-parent households, and how it contributes to failing grades. Other comments describe the challenging teaching environment in DC schools, including student misbehavior, lack of administrative support, and systemic corruption. The post also touches on comparisons with other school districts and questions about centralized vs. localized control of education systems. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines bail reform as a potential solution to high incarceration rates in the US, discussing its impacts, alternatives, and the effectiveness of bail-paying charities. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the issue of high incarceration rates in the US and focuses on bail reform as a potential solution. He explains how the current bail system disproportionately affects poor defendants, leading to longer sentences and more convictions. The post examines alternatives like Washington DC's system without monetary bail and the effectiveness of charities that pay bail for defendants. Alexander compares the cost-effectiveness of bail reform charities to other efficient charities and suggests both short-term (supporting bail-paying charities) and long-term (systemic criminal justice reform) solutions. He concludes that while bail reform may not be the most important change needed in the US criminal justice system, it could be one of the easiest to implement. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines three conflicting articles on poverty and attempts to reconcile their findings, ultimately becoming more optimistic about alleviating extreme poverty through money transfers. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses three articles on poverty that seemingly contradict each other. The first study finds lottery winnings don't improve health or education outcomes. The second study shows that increased income from casino profits improved behavioral outcomes for Cherokee Indians. The third article suggests poor people could save more if they adopted certain behaviors. Scott attempts to reconcile these findings by considering factors like geographic differences in poverty's effects, genetic predisposition, and cultural attitudes towards saving. He concludes by slightly modifying his previous opinion to be more optimistic about alleviating extreme poverty through money transfers. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques three articles on poverty, proposing a framework to categorize poverty approaches, and reluctantly advocates for basic income as the best available solution despite its flaws. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews three articles on poverty and explains why he disagrees with all of them. He categorizes different approaches to poverty using a grid with axes of 'competitive vs cooperative' and 'tractable vs intractable'. Scott positions himself in the 'cooperative' but 'intractable' quadrant, expressing skepticism about both the exploitation narrative and the effectiveness of most anti-poverty programs. He argues that poverty is largely due to genetics and deep cultural factors that are difficult to change. Despite reservations, he reluctantly supports a basic income guarantee as the least bad solution. The post also touches on global poverty, economic growth, and open borders. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the hidden prevalence of misery in society, using his psychiatric experience and statistical analysis to argue that suffering is more widespread than commonly perceived. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on the prevalence of misery and hardship in society, based on his experiences as a psychiatrist. He describes typical patient profiles that showcase severe life difficulties, and contrasts this with the tendency of people to socially filter for those similar to themselves. The post then presents statistics on various forms of suffering and runs a simulation to estimate how common these issues are in the general population. The author concludes that the world is likely much worse than most people realize, even in seemingly prosperous areas, and cautions against dismissing the problems of any particular group. He suggests that this realization might motivate people to contribute to efforts to improve the world, such as through charitable donations. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander criticizes misleading media reports on drug testing welfare recipients, showing how flawed methods and misrepresented data led to false conclusions about drug use rates. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques media coverage of drug testing programs for welfare recipients in Tennessee and Florida. He points out that the widely reported extremely low drug use rates (0.12% in Tennessee) are due to flawed testing methods, not actual low drug use. The Tennessee program only used a written questionnaire, while Florida's program, which used urine tests, was misrepresented by not accounting for those who refused testing. Alexander argues that these misleading reports are worse than Brian Williams' helicopter story embellishment because they misinform on important policy issues and display arrogance in criticizing those who believe welfare recipients use drugs at higher rates. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques the inefficiency of psychiatric care for poverty-related issues, suggesting a Basic Income Guarantee as a potentially more effective solution. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the inefficiency of psychiatric care for patients whose primary issue is poverty. He relates a case where a suicidal patient, in debt for $5000, is hospitalized at a cost of $5000, which doesn't address the underlying financial problem. The post criticizes the current system as wasteful and patronizing, highlighting the dilemma between libertarian and liberal approaches to such issues. Scott suggests that a Basic Income Guarantee might be more effective and cost-efficient than current psychiatric interventions for poverty-related issues, potentially saving money in both psychiatric care and prison systems. Shorter summary

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

Scott satirically proposes and 'proves' that morality is a form of gravity, using pseudo-scientific reasoning and calculations. Longer summary

This satirical post humorously proposes that morality is a form of gravity, using pseudo-scientific reasoning to 'prove' this theory. Scott starts by noting how gravitational language is used in moral discourse, then applies an inverse square law to moral obligations based on distance. He 'confirms' this theory by comparing charitable giving to Africa with the theory's predictions, and calculates the exact distance one needs to be from a beggar to avoid feeling guilty. The post uses a mix of real data and absurd logic to parody certain types of scientific and philosophical arguments. Shorter summary