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May 12, 2020
ssc

Studies On Slack

55 min • 7,597 words • 315 comments • podcast (48 min)
Scott Alexander examines the role of slack in evolutionary systems, arguing that a balance between competition and cooperation often leads to optimal outcomes in various domains. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the concept of slack in evolutionary systems, using various examples to illustrate how balancing competition and cooperation can lead to optimal outcomes. He discusses how slack allows for the development of complex adaptations that might not emerge in environments of intense competition or total absence of competition. The post covers topics such as monopolies, tariffs, strategy games, stock exchanges, corporate organization, and the evolution of ideas, showing how the principle of slack applies in each case. Shorter summary
Dec 08, 2015
ssc

Book Review: Hive Mind

32 min • 4,435 words • 622 comments
Scott Alexander reviews 'Hive Mind' by Garett Jones, which argues that national IQ matters more for economic success than individual IQ, while raising several criticisms of the book's methodology and conclusions. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews Garett Jones' book 'Hive Mind', which explores the hypothesis that a nation's average IQ matters more for its economic success than individual IQs. The book presents various studies and theories to support this idea, including how high-IQ individuals are better at cooperation and long-term thinking. Scott finds the book interesting but raises several criticisms, including questions about the direction of causality between IQ and development, and how the findings from small-scale experiments might apply to real-world nations. Shorter summary
Aug 17, 2015
ssc

The Goddess of Everything Else

17 min • 2,353 words • 382 comments • podcast (15 min)
A mythological tale contrasts the Goddess of Cancer's primal drives with the Goddess of Everything Else's push for cooperation and progress, showing how the latter gradually wins over creation. Longer summary
This post presents a mythological narrative of two opposing forces: the Goddess of Cancer, representing primal drives for survival and reproduction, and the Goddess of Everything Else, embodying cooperation, beauty, and progress. The story unfolds in stages, showing how the Goddess of Everything Else subtly guides evolution and civilization, always finding ways to align her goals with the Goddess of Cancer's imperative to 'KILL CONSUME MULTIPLY CONQUER'. Through each stage - from single-celled organisms to complex civilizations and beyond - the Goddess of Everything Else gradually wins over creation, ultimately freeing humanity from the bonds of their original nature to pursue greater things across the stars. Shorter summary
Jun 25, 2014
ssc

SSC Gets World Cup Fever

6 min • 753 words • 57 comments
Scott Alexander humorously explores the World Cup's complex rules, game theory in soccer, and unusual incentive structures in international tournaments. Longer summary
Scott Alexander humorously discusses the World Cup, focusing on its complex advancement rules and the strategic implications for teams. He explores the idea of the tournament as a primitive neural net, and ponders whether a large enough soccer tournament could achieve sentience. The post then delves into game theory, discussing the potential for teams to cooperate for mutual benefit in certain scenarios. It concludes with an anecdote about a 1994 Caribbean Cup game that had an extremely unusual incentive structure due to a peculiar rule. Shorter summary