Scott Alexander examines three conflicting articles on poverty and attempts to reconcile their findings, ultimately becoming more optimistic about alleviating extreme poverty through money transfers. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses three articles on poverty that seemingly contradict each other. The first study finds lottery winnings don't improve health or education outcomes. The second study shows that increased income from casino profits improved behavioral outcomes for Cherokee Indians. The third article suggests poor people could save more if they adopted certain behaviors. Scott attempts to reconcile these findings by considering factors like geographic differences in poverty's effects, genetic predisposition, and cultural attitudes towards saving. He concludes by slightly modifying his previous opinion to be more optimistic about alleviating extreme poverty through money transfers. Shorter summary

A dialogue critiques Michael Huemer's view on objective moral truths, arguing that moral changes are driven by wealth and societal conditions rather than convergence on objective truth. Longer summary

This post presents a dialogue between Achitophel and Berenice discussing Michael Huemer's view on objective moral truths. Berenice argues against Huemer's perspective, suggesting that changes in moral values are primarily driven by increasing wealth and changing societal conditions rather than a convergence on objective moral truth. She provides examples such as changes in fashion, the impact of disease prevalence on moral foundations, and the influence of economic factors on moral decisions. Achitophel initially defends Huemer's view but gradually concedes some points to Berenice's arguments. The dialogue concludes with a discussion on whether certain moral foundations, particularly Care/Harm, might be more fundamental than others. Shorter summary