Scott Alexander reviews Rodney Stark's 'The Rise of Christianity', which examines factors contributing to Christianity's growth from a small cult to a dominant religion in the Roman Empire. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'The Rise of Christianity' by Rodney Stark, which explores how Christianity grew from a small cult to dominate Western history. Stark, a sociologist, applies modern religious study insights to early Christianity. The book argues that Christianity's growth was steady and explainable through factors like social networks, appeal to women, fertility differences, plague survival, and moral teachings. Scott analyzes each argument, finding some more convincing than others, and ultimately suggests that Christianity's unique emphasis on love and virtue may have been its most significant advantage. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander rejects the 'cultural Christianity' argument, stating that both Christian and secular liberal societies eventually succumb to modernism, making Christianity no more stable than secular alternatives. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques the 'cultural Christianity' argument, which suggests atheists should support Christian society for its cultural benefits. He acknowledges being part of the target audience, appreciating certain aspects of past Christian-influenced cultures. However, he rejects the argument on two grounds: his personal aversion to asserting falsehoods, and the observation that Christianity, like other cultural systems, has also succumbed to modernism and 'wokeness'. He argues that if both Christian and non-Christian liberal societies eventually collapse into undesirable cultural states, there's no advantage in advocating for Christianity over secular liberalism. The post concludes that addressing modern cultural challenges requires inventing a new cultural package rather than reverting to Christianity. Shorter summary

A review of G.K. Chesterton's 'The Ballad of the White Horse', examining its themes of hope, fate, and the need for constant renewal in preserving what is valuable. Longer summary

This review analyzes G.K. Chesterton's epic poem 'The Ballad of the White Horse', focusing on its themes of hope versus fate and the eternal revolution. The poem tells the story of King Alfred the Great's struggle against Viking invaders, using it as a vehicle to explore Chesterton's ideas about Christianity, conservatism, and the need for constant renewal to preserve good things. The reviewer highlights how Chesterton contrasts Christian hope with pagan fatalism, and explains the concept of the 'eternal revolution' - the idea that preserving anything of value requires ongoing effort and renewal, symbolized by the White Horse of Uffington that must be regularly maintained to persist. Shorter summary

In 'Dominion', conservative Christian Matthew Scully makes a comprehensive case for animal welfare, critiquing practices like factory farming and hunting from religious, ethical, and scientific perspectives. Longer summary

Matthew Scully's 'Dominion' is a comprehensive exploration of animal welfare from a conservative Christian perspective. Scully, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, argues that humans have a moral obligation to show mercy to animals based on religious, ethical, and scientific grounds. He critiques various practices including factory farming, hunting, and animal experimentation, while also engaging with philosophical arguments about animal consciousness. The book combines personal experiences, biblical interpretation, and criticism of both conservative and liberal approaches to animal rights. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Rene Girard's 'I See Satan Fall Like Lightning', critiquing its theory of myths and religion centered on scapegoating, and discussing its application to modern 'wokeness'. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Rene Girard's book 'I See Satan Fall Like Lightning', which presents an ambitious theory of anthropology, mythography, and Judeo-Christian religion. Girard argues that pagan myths and Bible stories describe the same psychosocial process he calls the 'single-victim process' or 'Satan'. This process involves mimetic desire leading to conflict, which is resolved by the community turning against a scapegoat. Girard claims Christianity uniquely reveals this process as evil. The review critiques Girard's theory as overly broad and not fitting many myths and Bible stories. It also discusses Girard's views on modern 'wokeness' as an extension of Christian concern for victims, but notes Girard's struggle to reconcile this with his conservative Christian views. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares 34 varied links and pieces of information on topics including science, history, politics, and technology, with brief commentary on many items. Longer summary

This post is a collection of 34 diverse links and snippets of information on various topics. It covers subjects ranging from Jeff Bezos' biological father, to studies on Christianity's growth, to climate change discussions, to updates on AI progress. The post also includes commentary on current events like the University of Austin controversy and political polling trends. Many of the links discuss recent scientific studies or historical anecdotes, often with Scott's brief analysis or opinion added. Shorter summary

The review examines Peter Brown's book on the transformation of Western Europe and North Africa from pagan to Christian society (350-550 AD), focusing on wealth in churches and societal changes. Longer summary

This book review examines Peter Brown's 'Through the Eye of a Needle', which explores the transformation of Western Europe and North Africa from classical pagan society to medieval Christian society between 350-550 AD. The review highlights Brown's focus on the entry of wealth into Christian churches and the economic, social, and political changes during this period. It discusses the late Roman economy, the role of cities, social structures, and the collapse of the Roman state. The reviewer also offers personal insights on the competitive nature of monotheism and the inefficient equilibria in Roman society. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the unusual trend of Colombian Christians converting to Orthodox Judaism, exploring various sociological and cultural explanations for this phenomenon. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the phenomenon of Christians in Colombia converting to Orthodox Judaism, as reported in a Washington Post article. He notes that while the numbers are small (2500-5000 converts), it's unusual given the difficulty of converting to Orthodox Judaism. Scott examines possible explanations, including the story of a megachurch pastor's conversion, broader religious shifts in Latin America, and societal factors. He suggests that conversion might be a way for people to escape problematic aspects of their society, drawing parallels with other religious conversions in Latin America and even charter cities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews a study on 'enlightenment', finding it involves internal changes in self-perception and cognition, often without noticeable external effects. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews a paper by Jeffery Martin on Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience (PNSE), a scientific term for enlightenment. The study interviewed 50 self-reported 'enlightened' individuals, finding common experiences like changes in sense of self, cognition, and perception. Notably, these internal changes often didn't affect external behavior significantly. The paper highlights discrepancies between participants' self-reported experiences and observable reality, such as claims of no stress contradicted by physical signs. Scott appreciates the paper for providing a minimalist account of enlightenment, suggesting it's more about altered internal experience than drastic personality changes or superhuman abilities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander compares the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade to traditional civic and religious celebrations, arguing that it has evolved into a form of civil religion similar to American patriotism. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes his experience at the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, drawing parallels between it and traditional civic and religious celebrations like Easter in Guatemala and Fourth of July parades in America. He argues that the Gay Pride celebration has evolved into a form of civil religion, similar to how American patriotism has functioned as a civil religion. The post explores how the gay rights movement, which started as a counterculture, has become mainstream and incorporated many elements of traditional civic celebrations. Scott suggests that this evolution mirrors the historical development of other religions, particularly Christianity, which also started as a countercultural movement before becoming an established institution. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines and critiques the claim that good-vs-evil narratives in popular culture are a recent, nationalism-driven phenomenon, offering alternative explanations for their prevalence. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the theory that good-vs-evil narratives in popular culture are a relatively recent invention, emerging after 1700 and possibly tied to nationalism. He critiques this idea, pointing out examples of good-vs-evil stories in older myths and religious texts. Scott proposes alternative explanations for the rise of these narratives, including democratization, expanding moral circles, and the memetic superiority of well-crafted good-vs-evil stories. He draws parallels between the spread of Christianity and the popularity of good-vs-evil narratives, suggesting that both offer a more appealing worldview than their predecessors. The post ends by speculating on the future evolution of such narratives. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander theorizes that ancient religions were inseparable from culture, comparing them to modern American civil religion and explaining how they evolved into distinct belief systems. Longer summary

Scott Alexander proposes a theory about the origin of religion, arguing that ancient religions were inseparable from culture and daily life. He compares ancient religions to modern American civil religion, highlighting similarities in customs, taboos, and mythologies. The post suggests that religion evolved from culture in a world where cultural differences were more pronounced, and became ossified and separated from context over time. Scott argues that writing down cultural practices and attributing them to gods provided justification for maintaining these practices. He also discusses how newer religions like Christianity and Islam underwent a similar process of ossification, preserving elements of their original cultural context. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explains his defensiveness as a response to unfair critiques that risk pushing groups into irredeemable disrepute, and grapples with how to address this issue. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses his recent defensiveness towards critiques of rationalism and effective altruism. He explains that his defensiveness stems from a fear of groups being unfairly portrayed and pushed into an 'event horizon' of irredeemable toxicity. The post outlines how this process works, using Christianity as a hypothetical example, and how it can lead to the degradation of reasonable discourse. Scott struggles with the dilemma of either constantly defending against unfair critiques (and appearing defensive) or risking his preferred groups sliding into disrepute. He expresses a desire for a third option that avoids both these outcomes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews G.K. Chesterton's 'What's Wrong With The World', analyzing its critiques of early 20th century society and its proposed solutions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews G.K. Chesterton's 1910 book 'What's Wrong With The World', discussing Chesterton's critique of early 20th century society and his proposed solutions. The review highlights Chesterton's unique writing style, his opposition to both conservative and progressive ideologies of his time, and his call for a return to traditional values. Scott also critically examines Chesterton's arguments, pointing out their limitations and the challenges of implementing such ideas in the modern world. Shorter summary

Scott presents a creative reinterpretation of the Bible using palindromes to represent key themes and stories from each major section. Longer summary

This post presents a creative interpretation of the Bible using palindromes. Each major section of the Bible is represented by one or more palindromes that capture key themes or stories. The author includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy, Judges, Prophets, Kings, & Writings, The Gospels, and Revelation. The post ends with some additional notes and apologies for omissions, as well as some extra palindromes that didn't fit into the main structure. Shorter summary

Scott critiques Chesterton's 'truth-telling thing' argument, suggesting that religion's apparent coherence stems from cultural conditioning rather than inherent truth. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques G.K. Chesterton's 'truth-telling thing' argument for religion. He argues that religion's claims are often wrong when testable, and that the feeling of coherence people get from religion is due to cultural conditioning rather than inherent truth. Scott uses a metaphor of fractured Roman culture being restored by ancient texts to illustrate how exposure to religious doctrines can create a false sense of enlightenment. He suggests that modern Western thought is a mix of Christian and modernist ideas, and that exposure to pure forms of either can feel revelatory, but for different reasons related to how we hold beliefs. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores whether atheists can fully appreciate Chesterton's work, arguing that the moral beauty in his writing stems more from modern humanism than Christianity itself. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses whether atheists can appreciate the works of G.K. Chesterton, a Christian author. He argues that the moral qualities that make Chesterton and C.S. Lewis admirable are more a product of modernity than Christianity itself. Scott suggests that these authors took humanist ideas and dressed them in Christian clothing. He explores several reasons why the Christian framework might be particularly effective for conveying moral beauty, including the power of myth, legitimacy, a different perspective, and a focus on the individual. Lastly, he considers the challenge for atheists in portraying Good as an active, terrifying force, but finds some hope in works like 'Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality'. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that claims about pro-lifers secretly wanting to oppress women are uncharitable and likely false, and that we should engage with actual philosophical disagreements on abortion. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques an article arguing that pro-lifers don't actually care about fetuses but only want to coerce women. He argues this claim is uncharitable and likely false for several reasons: 1) It misunderstands the non-consequentialist ethics of many pro-lifers, 2) There's no evidence of widespread secret motivations, 3) It's unclear what it would even mean to 'not really believe' something, 4) It commits the genetic fallacy. Scott argues we should engage with the actual philosophical disagreements rather than impugning motives, and that the principle of charity is important when discussing contentious issues like abortion. Shorter summary