Scott Alexander responds to comments on his capitalism vs charity post, clarifying his argument and addressing various counterpoints and suggested capitalist charities. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous post about capitalism and charity. He clarifies that he's discussing a specific near-mode situation of how to best use a limited amount of money for improving human welfare, not running a 'Moral Worth Tournament' between capitalism and charity. He addresses arguments for investing in capitalism over charity, discussing issues like compounding returns, marginal utility, and the eventual need for consumption. Scott also explores specific capitalist charities suggested by commenters, including charter cities and microfinance, noting the lack of strong empirical evidence for many of these interventions. He concludes by stating what kind of evidence would change his mind on this topic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander compares the marginal impact of capitalism vs. charity, finding that traditional charity often seems more effective despite capitalism's historical success. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the question of whether capitalism is more effective than charity in helping others. He compares the impact of investing in a successful company like Instacart to donating to a highly effective charity like Dispensers For Safe Water. While acknowledging capitalism's overall historical success, Scott argues that at the margin, traditional charity often seems to have a greater direct impact. He examines potential second-order effects of capitalism but finds them insufficient to clearly outweigh charity's benefits. The post concludes by considering alternative capitalist-oriented charitable approaches, such as development aid or charter cities, but notes the lack of rigorous evaluation for these options. Shorter summary

A review of Guy Debord's 'The Society of the Spectacle', examining its critique of capitalism and mass media, and relating its ideas to modern issues. Longer summary

This review examines Guy Debord's 'The Society of the Spectacle', a Marxist critique of capitalism and mass media. The reviewer summarizes Debord's key ideas about how spectacle dominates modern society, commodifies all aspects of life, and creates a false reality. The review also covers Debord's later comments on the book, relating his ideas to current issues like social media, fake news, and information warfare. While acknowledging the book's insights, the reviewer ultimately takes a more moderate stance on capitalism and technology's impacts. Shorter summary

A review of 'Addiction By Design' examines how gambling machines are engineered for addiction and draws parallels to other digital technologies. Longer summary

This review of 'Addiction By Design' by Natasha Dow Schüll explores how gambling machines are designed to be addictive, and how this relates to other forms of digital addiction. The review covers the evolution of slot machines from mechanical to digital, various design techniques used to maximize addictiveness, and the psychology of machine gamblers seeking escape into a 'zone' state. It challenges the idea that gambling addiction is purely a personal failing, arguing instead that it results from an interaction between individuals and carefully engineered machines. The review also draws parallels to other potentially addictive technologies like social media apps. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander criticizes Ted Chiang's article that compares AI risk to capitalism, arguing that the analogy is flawed and the reasoning behind it is unsound. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques Ted Chiang's article comparing AI risk to capitalism, arguing that the comparison is flawed and the reasoning unsound. He points out that AI risk concerns originated from academics, not just Silicon Valley, and that drawing analogies between scientific concepts and social phenomena doesn't disprove the original concept. Scott also criticizes Chiang's use of psychological projection to explain AI fears, noting the dangers of amateur psychoanalysis. He concludes by emphasizing that this approach to risk assessment is inappropriate for potentially catastrophic issues. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues against Nathan Robinson's proposal for public cafeterias, instead favoring a system of food vouchers with taxes and subsidies to promote healthy eating. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Nathan Robinson's proposal for a public food option, arguing that the existing system of vouchers plus taxes and subsidies is superior. He points out that a public cafeteria system would likely become stigmatized and low-quality, while vouchers allow poor people to access the same high-quality food as everyone else. Alexander then critiques the current implementation of agricultural subsidies and dietary guidelines, showing how government mismanagement has promoted unhealthy food. He argues that both capitalism and government are 'misaligned systems' that can produce bad outcomes, and that the solution is to pit multiple systems against each other with checks and balances rather than relying solely on government control. Shorter summary

The post satirically portrays ancient concepts as 'modern pathologies' to criticize aspects of contemporary society. Longer summary

This post satirically critiques various historical and cultural phenomena by framing them as 'modern pathologies'. The author sarcastically describes the Great Pyramid of Cheops, heterosexual procreation, Homer's Odyssey, Aristotelian virtue theory, and Catholicism as if they were recent developments, using them to criticize aspects of modern society such as individualism, capitalism, and standardization. The tone is deeply ironic, using anachronistic comparisons to modern concepts like neoliberalism, Instagram, and corporate culture to highlight perceived flaws in contemporary society. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Singer's book on Marx, finding Marx's ideas deeply flawed, particularly his refusal to plan for communist governance and his belief in infinitely malleable human nature. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Peter Singer's 'Marx: A Very Short Introduction', finding Marx's ideas even more problematic than he initially thought. He criticizes Marx's refusal to plan for communist governance, his belief in the non-existence of human nature, and his naive assumptions about coordination. Scott does acknowledge one insightful aspect of Marx's thought related to collective irrationality, but notes this wasn't original to Marx. The review ends with Scott suggesting that the real challenge for Marxist intellectuals should be developing systems that solve coordination problems better than capitalism. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes Moloch as a metaphor for destructive societal coordination problems, using various examples to show how competing incentives can lead to negative outcomes. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of Moloch as a metaphor for destructive coordination problems in society, drawing on Allen Ginsberg's poem and various examples to illustrate how competing incentives can lead to negative outcomes for all. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores social impact bonds as a potential way to use corporate greed to solve social problems more efficiently than current government programs. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses social impact bonds, a system where corporations invest in solving social problems and get paid by the government if they succeed. He compares this to prediction markets and sees it as a way to use greed for good ends. The post explores potential applications in healthcare, education, and crime prevention. Scott also discusses the risks and potential for abuse in such systems, but ultimately sees them as a promising way to address social issues more efficiently than current government programs. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander describes how Amazon Prime has simplified and improved his product selection process, expressing surprise at its effectiveness and reflecting on feeling like an active economic participant. Longer summary

Scott Alexander shares his experience with Amazon Prime, describing how it has transformed his product selection process. He compares his old, complicated algorithm for choosing products in stores to his new, simpler method of using Amazon's ratings and reviews. Scott expresses surprise at how well this new approach works, given his skepticism about things actually improving. He lists several successful purchases made through Amazon, including an IRON GYM pull-up bar that has unexpectedly improved his exercise habits. The post concludes with Scott's reflections on feeling like an active participant in the economic system, both through boycotting and through using Amazon's review-based purchasing method. Shorter summary