How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and do semantic search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Apr 20, 2022
acx
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Highlights From The Comments On "Sadly, Porn"

56 min • 8,675 words • 165 comments • 59 likes • podcast (54 min)
Scott Alexander presents and discusses diverse reader reactions to his review of 'Sadly, Porn', touching on the book's controversial ideas and writing style. Longer summary
Scott Alexander highlights and responds to various comments on his book review of 'Sadly, Porn' by The Last Psychiatrist. The comments cover a wide range of reactions, from strong praise to harsh criticism of the book and its ideas. Topics discussed include the book's obscurantism, its psychoanalytic perspective, the nature of advertising, people's thoughts on compliments, and various interpretations of the book's central themes. Shorter summary
Jan 22, 2021
acx
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Logistics

8 min • 1,167 words • 275 comments • 212 likes • podcast (9 min)
Scott Alexander details the logistics of his new blog on Substack, including subscription options and content plans, while addressing reader concerns. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explains his transition to Substack, addressing concerns about the platform and discussing the logistics of his new blog. He outlines the subscription model, emphasizing that most content will remain free but subscribers will get some extra benefits. Scott also touches on his plans for a new medical practice, his stance on publicity, and updates on previous commitments like advertising refunds and the book review contest. Shorter summary
May 22, 2019
ssc
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The APA Meeting: A Photo-Essay

29 min • 4,386 words • 451 comments • podcast (34 min)
Scott Alexander humorously describes his observations at the American Psychiatric Association meeting, highlighting pharmaceutical influence, social justice focus, and historical context of psychiatry. Longer summary
Scott Alexander attends the American Psychiatric Association meeting and shares his observations in a humorous photo-essay. He notes the overwhelming presence of pharmaceutical advertising, the conference's focus on social justice issues, the presence of Scientology protesters and CIA recruiters, and the abundance of new but seemingly unnecessary psychiatric drugs. He reflects on the historical context of psychiatry, including its past political biases and progress over time, while critiquing the current state of the field and its relationship with drug companies and social trends. Shorter summary
Oct 30, 2018
ssc
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Sort By Controversial

32 min • 4,852 words • 471 comments • podcast (29 min)
A fictional account of an accidental AI creation that generates extremely controversial statements, leading to societal division and paranoia. Longer summary
This fictional story describes the creation of 'Shiri's Scissor', an AI tool that generates maximally controversial statements. The narrator works at an ad startup that accidentally creates this tool while trying to predict Reddit upvotes. They test it on themselves, causing a major argument that leads to firings. They attempt to sell it to the military, but legal troubles and violence ensue, destroying the company. Later, the narrator realizes some major real-world controversies match predictions made by the Scissor, suggesting someone else had created it earlier. The story ends with the narrator deeply affected by the Scissor statements, warning readers to disconnect from society and prepare for the worst. Shorter summary
Jul 28, 2014
ssc
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Weird Psychiatric Ads Of The Seventies

11 min • 1,628 words • 36 comments
Scott Alexander presents and humorously critiques a series of strange psychiatric drug advertisements from the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting their peculiar imagery and messaging. Longer summary
Scott Alexander shares a collection of psychiatric drug advertisements from the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting their peculiar and often creepy nature. He comments on various aspects of these ads, including the evolution of psychiatric terminology, the relationship between drug therapy and psychoanalysis, and the bizarre imagery used to market antipsychotics. The post humorously critiques the ads' visual elements, puns, and implied messages, while also noting how they reflect changing attitudes in psychiatry over time. Shorter summary
Jul 22, 2014
ssc
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The Other Codex

2 min • 281 words • 98 comments
Scott Alexander buys the Codex Seraphinianus, a long-desired luxury item, and inadvertently turns his post into an Amazon advertisement. Longer summary
Scott Alexander describes purchasing the Codex Seraphinianus, a book he's wanted since he was nineteen, as a reward for doing well at his job. He explains that the Codex is difficult to describe and must be seen to be understood, providing links to view it online. Scott was prepared to pay $500 but found a new version for only $80 on Amazon. He then humorously notes that he unintentionally advertised the book and decided to sign up for Amazon Affiliates, turning his accidental promotion into an actual advertisement. Shorter summary
May 15, 2013
ssc
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Overheard In The Box, Part II

1 min • 75 words • 2 comments
Mike humorously recounts grounding morality in IHOP's waffles after a meta-ethics discussion, highlighting the challenges in reaching agreement on such topics. Longer summary
This post is a short humorous dialogue between Mike and Alicorn about grounding morality. Mike recounts a past discussion on meta-ethics with a college friend at IHOP, where they jokingly decided to ground morality in waffles after seeing a sign praising IHOP's waffles. The post uses this absurd idea to poke fun at the difficulty of reaching agreement in meta-ethical discussions. Shorter summary
Apr 26, 2013
ssc
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Links for April

10 min • 1,477 words • 66 comments • podcast (17 min)
Scott shares an eclectic collection of interesting links he found online, covering topics like economics, urban planning, science and psychology, with his own commentary added. Longer summary
This is a collection of interesting links and articles Scott found online. The topics range from economics and social systems, through urban planning and science, to education and psychology studies. The post includes studies about gender discrimination, nuclear power safety statistics, and the effects of moderate drinking on health. Scott adds his own commentary and analysis to many of the links, often with a touch of humor or irony. Shorter summary