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Feb 11, 2014
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Blogging The Anissimov – Smith Reaction Debate

23 min • 3,172 words • 158 comments
Scott Alexander reviews and critiques a polite but underwhelming video debate between Noah Smith and Michael Anissimov on neoreactionary ideas. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews a video debate between Noah Smith, an economics professor, and Michael Anissimov, a spokesperson for neoreaction. The debate covered topics such as social isolation, happiness trends, equality, capitalism, democracy, monarchy, organic state theory, aristocracy, and gender roles. Scott found the debate polite but somewhat underwhelming, with both participants making more moderate claims than expected. He provides his own analysis and critiques of the arguments presented, noting areas where he felt important points were missed or inadequately addressed. Shorter summary
Dec 01, 2013
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Empire/Forest Fire

16 min • 2,191 words • 239 comments
Scott Alexander critiques the Reactionary concept of 'left singularity', arguing that reigns of terror typically follow repressive right-wing regimes rather than gradual leftward shifts in democracies. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques the Reactionary concept of 'left singularity', which posits that leftist movements become increasingly extreme until they collapse. He argues this theory is flawed, using an analogy to forest fires to show how it misinterprets causation. Scott contends that reigns of terror typically follow repressive right-wing regimes, not gradual leftward shifts in democracies. He proposes an alternative model where repressive monarchies build up pressure leading to revolution, which may be hijacked by extremists. Scott argues that moderate leftist democracies are stable and less prone to violent upheaval than far-right regimes, challenging core Reactionary claims. Shorter summary
Oct 20, 2013
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The Anti-Reactionary FAQ

252 min • 35,224 words • 810 comments
This post systematically rebuts common Reactionary political beliefs on topics like societal decline, traditional governance, progress, and social issues through data analysis and historical examples. Longer summary
This post is an extensive rebuttal to common beliefs held by the Reactionary political movement. It systematically addresses and counters Reactionary claims about societal decline, traditional monarchies, the origins and nature of progress, corporate governance models, and modern views on race and gender. The author analyzes data and historical examples to argue against Reactionary positions, while acknowledging some valid critiques and interesting ideas within the movement. The post ends by listing various rebuttals and responses to the FAQ itself from Reactionary bloggers. Shorter summary
Mar 03, 2013
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Reactionary Philosophy In An Enormous, Planet-Sized Nutshell

120 min • 16,672 words • 341 comments
The post provides a comprehensive overview of Reactionary philosophy and its critiques of modern progressive society, attempting to present these controversial ideas fairly for the sake of debate. Longer summary
This post provides a comprehensive overview of Reactionary philosophy, presenting its arguments against modern progressive society and in favor of traditional values and governance structures. The author explains Reactionary critiques of democracy, diversity, feminism, and other progressive ideals, and presents Reactionary arguments for monarchy, cultural unity, and traditional gender roles. The post covers topics like race, colonialism, and immigration from a Reactionary perspective. While not endorsing these views, the author attempts to present them fairly to encourage debate and examination of commonly held progressive assumptions. Shorter summary