Scott Alexander argues that 'I'm sorry you feel that way' is a valid and useful phrase in certain situations, despite widespread criticism. Longer summary

Scott Alexander defends the phrase 'I'm sorry you feel that way', often criticized as a fake apology. He argues that in situations where someone is upset by an appropriate action, this phrase is a good middle ground between changing one's mind and being dismissive. Scott suggests that the hostility towards this phrase stems from 'therapy culture', which overfits social norms to benefit oneself in any given situation. He concludes that 'I'm sorry you feel that way' can be a polite and compassionate response when someone is upset by an action you continue to endorse. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews popular Substack blogs from various categories, offering humorous commentary and insights on each. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores various Substack blogs across different categories, offering humorous commentary and insights on each. He starts with a popular culture blog about celebrity gossip, moves on to a top political newsletter, then examines blogs on faith and spirituality, business, food and drink, music, international affairs, and sports. Throughout, Scott mixes analysis of the content with witty observations about the nature of blogging and the diverse 'universes' represented by different Substack niches. Shorter summary

Scott writes a satirical poem about clickbait content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' to critique manipulative media practices. Longer summary

This post is a satirical poem criticizing clickbait content and manipulative media practices. Scott uses rhyming verse to humorously describe how outrageous or controversial content is deliberately created to generate engagement on social media platforms. The poem advises readers to recognize this tactic and avoid engaging with such content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' throughout. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander responds to reader comments on his culture wars article, addressing various topics including 4chan history, transgender issues, feminism, dating apps, and internet censorship. Longer summary

This post highlights various comments on Scott's previous article about online culture wars. It covers topics such as the history of 4chan, the role of transgender issues in culture wars, the decline of feminism discourse, the impact of dating apps on social interactions, internet censorship, and the evolution of online movements. Scott responds to these comments, often agreeing with some points while remaining skeptical of others. He also reflects on how his own perspective might be limited by his age and experiences. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the evolution of online culture wars from atheism to feminism to race, analyzing the dynamics of these shifts and speculating on future trends. Longer summary

Scott Alexander traces the evolution of online culture wars from New Atheism through feminism to the current focus on race, examining how each movement rose and fell in popularity. He analyzes the dynamics of these shifts using concepts like fashion cycles and signaling theory, and speculates on the future trajectory of culture war topics. The post explores how terms like 'SJW' and 'woke' impacted discourse, the rise and potential decline of New Socialism, and draws parallels to longer-term cycles of mainstream institutional values. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander describes deleting his blog Slate Star Codex due to a doxxing threat, the aftermath, and his decision to return to blogging under his real name. Longer summary

Scott Alexander recounts his experience of deleting his popular blog Slate Star Codex after the New York Times threatened to reveal his real name. He discusses the reasons behind his decision, the unexpected consequences, and the outpouring of support he received. Scott reflects on the importance of online anonymity and explains his decision to restart his blog under his real name, as well as his plans for the future. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the problems with paywalled articles and proposes solutions to improve internet users' experience. Longer summary

Scott Alexander criticizes paywalls on articles, arguing that they create artificial curiosity, hinder public discourse, and make information searching frustrating. He explains how paywalls can negatively impact user experience by creating clickbait, limiting access to important discussions, and complicating information searches. Scott proposes several solutions, including search engine options to hide or mark paywalled articles, browser extensions to identify paywalled links, and better practices for bloggers and social media users when sharing links. He commits to implementing some of these practices in his own writing. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the rise and fall of New Atheism, arguing it was replaced by social justice as the dominant online 'hamartiology' explaining society's problems. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on the rise and fall of New Atheism, a movement that dominated online discourse in the early 2000s. He traces its origins to the early days of the internet, when intellectual debates about religion were common, and its peak in the mid-2000s with the rise of prominent atheist authors. Scott argues that New Atheism declined around 2015 as it was supplanted by the social justice movement. He proposes that both movements served a similar psychological function as 'hamartiologies' - explanations for what's wrong with the world. New Atheism blamed religion for society's ills, while social justice focuses on racism and sexism. The essay suggests this transition reflects broader changes in how people engage in online discourse and form tribal identities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander humorously describes AI-generated content simulating humans pretending to be robots pretending to be humans on Reddit. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously discusses the intersection of two subreddits: r/totallynotrobots, where humans pretend to be badly-disguised robots, and r/SubSimulatorGPT2, which uses GPT-2 to imitate various subreddits. The result is a AI-generated simulation of humans pretending to be robots pretending to be humans. Scott shares an example of this amusing output and expresses wonder at the current state of technology. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explains why the controversial Culture War thread was removed from r/slatestarcodex due to harassment, and discusses the challenges of hosting spaces for difficult conversations online. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explains why the Culture War thread on the r/slatestarcodex subreddit was shut down and moved to a new subreddit. He describes how the thread became a unique space for civil discussion of controversial topics, but also attracted harassment and threats against Scott personally. This led to a nervous breakdown and the decision to separate the thread from his blog. Scott uses this story to illustrate broader issues around hosting spaces for difficult conversations online, and the climate of fear and censorship that can result from harassment campaigns. Shorter summary

Scott analyzes a surprising age-related trend in responses to a parentheses riddle on the SSC survey, exploring possible explanations for why younger respondents were more likely to answer correctly. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses a parentheses riddle included in the SSC survey, which unexpectedly revealed a strong correlation between age and the likelihood of answering correctly. Younger respondents were more than twice as likely to choose the correct answer (B) compared to those in their 60s. Scott explores various hypotheses to explain this trend, including tech-savviness, cognitive decline, and survey-taking attitudes, but finds these explanations unsatisfactory. He speculates that age-related cognitive decline might affect parentheses-reading faculties specifically, independent of general intelligence. The post ends with an edit noting commenters' suggestion that younger people might have encountered the riddle before on social media. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that the Intellectual Dark Web can be both popular and silenced, explaining various mechanisms of social censorship and how they apply to controversial thinkers. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues that the 'Intellectual Dark Web' (IDW) can be both popular and silenced, contrary to criticisms. He points out that marginalized groups often have famous spokespeople, taboo ideas tend to generate celebrity, and fame doesn't protect ordinary supporters from social repercussions. He explains how the internet has enabled controversial voices to be heard, and suggests that the IDW's complaints about threats and harassment should be taken seriously. Scott also argues that the IDW likely still self-censors to some degree, and that silencing is more about preventing common knowledge than suppressing support or leaders. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander humorously presents and comments on bizarre search terms that led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews unusual search terms that led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. The post is a humorous collection of bizarre, sometimes disturbing, and often nonsensical search queries. Scott groups similar queries together and adds witty commentary, creating a comedic effect through the juxtaposition of unrelated or absurd concepts. The post highlights the strange and varied interests of internet users, as well as common misspellings of terms like 'Glasgow Coma Scale' and 'Slate Star Codex'. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a collection of negative and often insulting testimonials about himself and his blog Slate Star Codex, showcasing criticism of his writing, personality, and perceived ideologies. Longer summary

This post is a collection of negative testimonials about Scott Alexander and his blog Slate Star Codex. The testimonials range from critical comments to outright insults, covering various aspects of Scott's writing, personality, and perceived ideological stances. The post is presented in a humorous and self-deprecating manner, with Scott showcasing these negative comments about himself and his work. The testimonials touch on topics such as politics, rationality, autism, and Scott's writing style, often in harsh or offensive language. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the difficulties of learning and explaining complex ideas, advocating for diverse approaches and collaborative learning despite internet criticism. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of understanding and communicating complex ideas, drawing parallels between learning social skills and grasping difficult concepts. He argues that for complex knowledge, multiple perspectives and approaches are often necessary, as different formulations may resonate better with different individuals. The post emphasizes the importance of community-based learning, questioning, and practical application in truly understanding complex ideas. Scott also critiques the internet's hostility towards this learning process, where attempts to understand or explain ideas are often mocked as 'reinventing the wheel' or showcased as examples of stupidity. He concludes that while authoritative lectures work for simple facts, collaborative truth-seeking is crucial for more complex subjects, despite the risks of criticism or accusations of arrogance. Shorter summary

A collection of interesting links covering science, technology, culture, and economics, including updates on DNA malware, AI gaming, prison censorship, and various scientific studies. Longer summary

This is a link roundup post covering various interesting news and studies. Topics include DNA-encoded malware, AI in gaming, prison book bans, studies on therapy effectiveness, global inequality trends, and various scientific and cultural curiosities. The post follows Scott's typical link roundup format, providing brief commentary and context for each item, often with a mix of serious analysis and humorous observations. He covers both academic research and popular culture, maintaining his characteristic balance of intellectual rigor and accessibility. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques the practice of signal-boosting offensive tweets to harm someone's reputation, arguing it undermines free speech and creates dangerous precedents. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses a recent Twitter incident where a libertarian columnist signal-boosted an offensive tweet to potentially harm the tweeter's job prospects. He argues that this approach, while not technically doxxing, undermines free speech norms and creates a dangerous precedent. Scott draws parallels to other forms of social oppression and emphasizes that free speech isn't just about laws, but also about social norms that allow dissenting opinions. He warns of the risks of living in a 'Panopticon' where anyone's past statements can be used against them, potentially ruining lives. Scott concludes by advocating for the promotion of good social norms that protect free speech, even for those we disagree with. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines why compelling but unlikely stories on large internet platforms are probably lies, despite our reluctance to believe so. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the prevalence of seemingly incredible stories on large internet platforms like Reddit. He proposes that, given the massive user base, even a small percentage of trolls or liars can produce numerous convincing but false stories. This principle extends to viral news stories, blog posts, and even scientific research, where the most interesting or surprising results are disproportionately likely to be false. Despite understanding this logically, Scott notes that it's psychologically difficult to dismiss these stories as lies, and he explores possible reasons for this cognitive dissonance. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares a collection of mostly critical and often insulting testimonials about his blog Slate Star Codex, revealing the diverse and polarized reactions to his work. Longer summary

Scott Alexander shares a collection of testimonials and feedback he has received about his blog Slate Star Codex over three years. The post presents a wide range of opinions, many of which are highly critical, insulting, or dismissive. The feedback touches on various aspects of Scott's writing, personality, and the blog's community. Some comments praise his intelligence while criticizing his verbosity or political stance. Others mock his writing style, accuse him of censorship, or make personal attacks. The testimonials reveal the diverse and often polarized reactions to Scott's work, ranging from admiration to outright hostility. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a new list of internet annoyances for 2015, ranging from argumentative tactics to web design issues. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on his 2014 post about things he wanted to stop seeing on the internet, noting some improvements. He then lists 10 new annoyances for 2015, including misuse of Poe's Law, overuse of violent language in debate, cheap shots in arguments, Wikipedia-shaming, intrusive web design, clickbait tactics, overuse of 'entitled' as an insult, confusing 'post-' labels, and pedantic disputes about human evolution. The post is written in a humorous and slightly exasperated tone, critiquing various internet habits and trends. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the correlation between names considered 'douchebag' names and Republican political affiliation, presenting humorous hypotheses to explain the findings. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously explores the correlation between names perceived as 'douchebag' names and political affiliation. He compares two lists of names considered 'douchebag' names from internet sources with data on political affiliation by name. The analysis reveals that names considered 'douchebag' names are disproportionately associated with Republican voters. Scott presents three hypotheses to explain this correlation: douchebags are disproportionately Republican, parents who choose these names are disproportionately Republican, or 'douchebag' is a tribally-coded slur. The post maintains a satirical tone throughout, starting with a deliberately provocative title. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines two cases of online mob justice in feminist circles to argue that movements abandoning civility ultimately self-destruct. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses two incidents of online mob justice in the feminist community. The first involves Charles Clymer, a feminist activist who was attacked on social media for perceived misogyny and insensitivity. The second is 'Jacobinghazi', a controversy involving the leftist magazine Jacobin. Scott uses these examples to argue that movements which abandon principles of charity and civility ultimately harm themselves, comparing them to cancers that grow too large and destructive. He concludes that communities which tolerate jerks within their ranks will eventually be torn apart by those same jerks. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents an extensive collection of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other figurative language from various sources. Longer summary

Scott Alexander compiles a list of humorous and creative metaphors, similes, and other forms of figurative language. He starts by mentioning existing collections of funny metaphors and explains his motivation for creating a new, expanded list. The post then presents a wide array of metaphors and similes from various sources, including literature, comedians, and internet forums. These figurative expressions cover diverse topics and range from clever wordplay to absurdist humor. Scott warns readers about the potential 'groanworthiness' of the content. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes bizarre and amusing search terms that led people to his blog, revealing unexpected insights into internet users' interests and concerns. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously examines the search terms that have led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. He categorizes these terms into various amusing groups, including people searching for information about incest, polyamory critics, time travelers, political manifestos, students trying to cheat on homework, and people interested in albino black people. The post highlights the often bizarre, sometimes concerning, and frequently hilarious nature of internet searches, providing insight into the diverse and unexpected interests of online users. Scott uses this data to reflect on how these searches can provide a window into people's real thoughts and concerns, often differing greatly from what we might expect. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander humorously criticizes ten irritating internet trends he hopes will end in 2014, ranging from overused words to memes and logical fallacies. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously criticizes ten internet trends he wants to stop seeing in 2014. These include overused words like 'fanboy' and 'butthurt', inconsistent arguments about global warming, the doge meme, meta-humor, socioeconomic insults, misuse of 'dude' and 'bro', generational arguments, criticism of girls with male friends, and doge memes referencing the Doge of Venice. He satirically dissects each trend, pointing out their logical flaws or overuse, and occasionally proposes solutions or compromises. The post is written in a sarcastic and exasperated tone, reflecting Scott's frustration with these internet phenomena. Shorter summary