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Dec 10, 2015
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List Of Passages I Highlighted In My Copy Of “Hive Mind”

22 min • 3,031 words • 323 comments
Scott Alexander shares and comments on highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' 'Hive Mind', covering various aspects of IQ research and its societal implications. Longer summary
This post is a collection of highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' book 'Hive Mind', along with Scott Alexander's commentary. The passages cover a wide range of topics related to IQ, including its measurement, cultural differences, effects on cooperation and voting behavior, and its relationship to national economic performance. Scott provides critical analysis and personal insights on these excerpts, often relating them to other research or raising questions about their implications. The post also touches on topics such as the Flynn effect, nutrition's impact on intelligence, and group dynamics in decision-making. Shorter summary
Oct 21, 2015
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Contra Simler on Prestige

25 min • 3,468 words • 568 comments
Scott critiques Simler's theory of prestige, finding it insufficient for human behavior, and proposes five alternative explanations for the phenomenon. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques Kevin Simler's theory of prestige as presented in 'Social Status: Down The Rabbit Hole'. Simler separates status into dominance and prestige, with prestige explained through the behavior of Arabian babblers. Scott finds this explanation insufficient for human prestige, particularly for admiration of celebrities or people we don't interact with directly. He proposes five alternative explanations for prestige: group signaling, coattail riding, prestige by association, tit for tat, and virtuous cycles. Scott concludes that prestige might not be a single phenomenon and that separating dominance from prestige is a good starting point for understanding status. Shorter summary
Aug 15, 2015
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My Id On Defensiveness

16 min • 2,224 words • 623 comments
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
Mar 05, 2015
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A Cascade Of Dunbar Numbers

12 min • 1,541 words • 234 comments
Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of community growth, relating his experiences with micronations and rationalist groups to theories about natural group size limits. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on his experiences with micronations and the Bay Area rationalist community, noting that both faced difficulties in growing beyond a certain size. He connects these observations to Samo's research on Dunbar's number and its potential extensions. The post explores the idea of natural group size limits at different scales (e.g., 12, 150, 1000, 90,000 people) and how these might relate to social structures like families, clans, tribes, and city-states. While Scott expresses skepticism about the universality of these exact numbers across different contexts, he acknowledges the apparent difficulty many communities face in growing beyond certain thresholds. Shorter summary
May 12, 2014
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Weak Men Are Superweapons

22 min • 2,956 words • 538 comments • podcast (21 min)
Scott Alexander examines how 'weak men' arguments can be weaponized to unfairly discredit entire groups, forcing defensive coalitions and unnecessary conflicts. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'weak men' arguments and how they can be used as 'superweapons' in debates. He explains how targeting the weakest or most extreme members of a group can unfairly discredit the entire group, even if most members don't share those characteristics. The post explores this dynamic in various contexts, including religion, atheism, feminism, and men's rights movements. Scott argues that this tactic forces people to defend even the worst members of their group, creating unnecessary conflicts and making it difficult for individuals to distance themselves from extreme positions within their broader category. Shorter summary
Mar 24, 2014
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Should You Reverse Any Advice You Hear?

12 min • 1,595 words • 115 comments • podcast (12 min)
Scott Alexander discusses how people tend to seek advice that reinforces their existing tendencies and proposes considering the opposite of appealing advice. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the idea that advice is often useful for some people but harmful for others, depending on their natural tendencies. He suggests that people often gravitate towards advice that aligns with their existing inclinations, potentially exacerbating their biases. The post discusses various examples of opposing advice pairs and how different groups promote different sides. Scott proposes the idea of 'advice reversal', where individuals consider doing the opposite of advice they find appealing, as it might be more beneficial for them personally. He concludes with a checklist for when to consider reversing advice. Shorter summary