The review examines 'Zuozhuan', an ancient Chinese historical text, exploring its content, context, and relevance to understanding societal transformation. Longer summary

This review explores the ancient Chinese text 'Zuozhuan', a commentary on the 'Spring and Autumn Annals', covering the political and social upheavals of the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE). The author delves into the historical context, the text's structure and content, and its relevance to understanding societal collapse and transformation. The review highlights the text's rich narratives, complex characters, and its value in providing perspective on living through tumultuous times. Shorter summary

A review of Joe Henrich's 'The Weirdest People in the World', examining its argument that the Western Church's marriage regulations led to WEIRD psychology and modern economic growth. Longer summary

This book review examines Joe Henrich's 'The Weirdest People in the World', which argues that the Western Church's Marriage and Family Program (MFP) dismantled intensive kinship networks, leading to WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) psychology and modern economic growth. The reviewer discusses the book's scientific approach to European history, its extensive coverage of various topics, and raises questions about the intentionality of historical actors and the future implications of WEIRD psychology. Shorter summary

A review of 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' analyzes Hitler's rise to power, identifying key factors to recognize potential authoritarian threats. Longer summary

This review of William L. Shirer's 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' focuses on Hitler's ascent to power in Germany, analyzing the key factors that enabled his success. The reviewer extracts five main characteristics of Hitler's approach: open illiberalism, strategic use of terror, building a 'second state' through organization, thriving in times of crisis, and securing financial backing. The review aims to provide insights for recognizing and preventing similar authoritarian threats in the future. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming an illusion of moral decline, pointing out methodological flaws and suggesting alternative explanations for the perception of declining morality. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study by Mastroianni and Gilbert (MG) that claims there is an illusion of moral decline. The study argues that while people consistently believe morality is declining, objective measures show it has remained stable. Scott identifies several issues with the study's methodology and interpretation, including problems with timescale, accuracy, measurement, and sensitivity of the data used. He suggests that the perception of moral decline might be due to each generation judging the present by the moral standards of their youth, rather than a cognitive bias. Scott also points out that the study fails to consider many important aspects of morality in its analysis. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the ethics of eugenics and population control through fictional debates, comparing historical figures and policies. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the ethics of eugenics and population control through a dialogue between fictional characters. The post starts with a debate on whether eugenics can be ethical if implemented voluntarily, then compares the historical impacts of eugenics advocate Francis Galton and population control advocate Paul Ehrlich. It explores how Ehrlich's ideas led to forced sterilizations in India yet he remains respected, while Galton is vilified. The dialogue then debates whether this discrepancy is justified and how to evaluate ideas that led to harmful outcomes. The post ends with a discussion on the role of government in implementing controversial policies for perceived greater goods. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews the 'Malleus Maleficarum', a 15th-century witch-hunting manual, analyzing its content and historical context while reflecting on the dangers of limited knowledge. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews the 'Malleus Maleficarum', a 15th-century manual for witch-hunters, exploring its contents, historical context, and implications. He examines the book's theological arguments, descriptions of witchcraft, and guidelines for witch trials, highlighting the authors' attempts at rationality within their belief system. The review concludes by reflecting on the tragedy of well-intentioned people causing harm due to limited understanding, drawing parallels to modern challenges in psychiatry and knowledge. Shorter summary

This review examines Joseph Tainter's theory of societal collapse due to diminishing returns on complexity, critiquing aspects of the model and attempting to apply it to modern contexts. Longer summary

This review of Joseph Tainter's 'The Collapse of Complex Societies' outlines Tainter's theory that societal collapse occurs due to declining marginal returns on investment in complexity. The reviewer summarizes Tainter's key arguments about diminishing returns in areas like food/fuel extraction, science, education, sociopolitical complexity, and economic productivity. The review examines Tainter's case studies of the Roman, Mayan, and Chacoan civilizations, and discusses Tainter's views on collapse in modern times. The reviewer critiques some aspects of Tainter's model, particularly questioning why societies can't simply stop growing at an optimal point. The review concludes by attempting to apply Tainter's model to modern contexts like US colleges and current US strategies. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the current cultural climate, comparing it to historical norms of ideological conformity and discussing strategies to maintain intellectual freedom. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on the current cultural moment, comparing it to historical periods of ideological conformity rather than extreme events like witch hunts. He argues that we're exiting a rare period of high freedom of thought and may be returning to a more typical state of subtle repression. Scott discusses the oversupply of angry tweets versus substantive action, the importance of maintaining hope in the face of authoritarianism, and reasons for optimism based on historical precedents. He also points out the need for more coherent principles in opposing 'cancel culture' and suggests studying historical transitions from repressive to open societies. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'Secular Cycles', which proposes pre-industrial civilizations follow ~300 year cycles of growth and decline, examining the evidence and potential implications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews the book 'Secular Cycles' by Peter Turchin and Sergey Nefedov, which proposes that pre-industrial civilizations follow a cyclical pattern of growth, stagnation, and decline over about 300 years. The authors argue this cycle is driven by population dynamics and elite overproduction. Scott examines their evidence, methodology, and case studies, finding the theory intriguing but remaining somewhat skeptical. He considers potential implications for understanding history and modern society, while acknowledging the theory may not directly apply to the post-industrial world. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Foucault's 'Madness and Civilization', examining its controversial historical analysis of societal attitudes towards mental illness. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Michel Foucault's 'Madness and Civilization', exploring its historical analysis of societal attitudes towards mental illness from the Renaissance to the 19th century. The review highlights Foucault's controversial interpretations, including the mythical 'Ship of Fools', the confinement of the mad with criminals and the poor, and the author's critical view of mental health reforms. Scott notes the book's fascinating historical insights and beautiful writing, while expressing skepticism about some of Foucault's claims and his postmodern approach to analyzing history. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that the Dark Ages in Western Europe (500-1000 AD) did occur, presenting evidence of economic, demographic, and intellectual decline during this period. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues against the claim that the Dark Ages never happened, presenting evidence for a significant decline in Western Europe from 500-1000 AD. He addresses common counterarguments, showing how they often rely on isolated demands for rigor or misunderstandings of the term. Scott provides data on economic decline, population decrease, and reduced intellectual output during this period. He acknowledges that the topic is complex and can be politicized, but ultimately concludes that the evidence supports the existence of a 'Dark Age' in Western Europe. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander criticizes a Boston Review article on futurism for focusing on identity politics rather than substantive future predictions, arguing this approach trivializes important technological and societal developments. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques an article from Boston Review about futurism, highlighting five main issues. He argues that the article fails to make real arguments about the future, misunderstands the concept of Singularity, wrongly associates certain technologies with privilege, falsely portrays conflict between different futurist groups, and grossly underestimates the impact of potential future changes. Scott contrasts this with his view of futurism as a serious endeavor to improve the human condition and prepare for potentially massive changes. He expresses frustration that much current discourse about the future focuses on identity politics rather than substantive issues, drawing a parallel with an 18th-century futurist novel that was more concerned with religious prejudice than imagining actual changes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the potential link between falling testosterone levels and declining crime rates, finding the hypothesis intriguing but ultimately insufficient to explain observed crime trends. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the hypothesis that falling testosterone levels might be related to the secular decline in crime. He examines studies showing a significant drop in testosterone levels in American men from 1987 to 2004, and research linking higher testosterone to violent crime. However, he identifies several problems with this hypothesis, including timing discrepancies between testosterone decline and crime reduction, contradictory evidence, and the fact that crime is dropping in women at the same rate as in men. While intrigued by the potential connection, Scott concludes that the hypothesis doesn't fully explain the observed crime trends. He suggests further research, including studies comparing testosterone levels in violent criminals to the general population and proposing an examination of digit ratios in historical skeletal remains to track testosterone levels over time. Shorter summary

Scott compares ancient and modern descriptions of bipolar disorder, finding significant similarities that suggest the condition is biologically grounded rather than culturally determined. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of culture-bound syndromes and the risk of American mental health norms being imposed globally. He then compares the ancient description of bipolar disorder by Aretaeus of Cappadocia to modern diagnostic criteria. Scott matches symptoms from current questionnaires (Mood Disorder Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire-9) with Aretaeus' descriptions, finding significant overlap. He concludes that the similarities between ancient and modern descriptions of bipolar disorder suggest it is a biologically grounded condition rather than a culture-bound syndrome. Shorter summary

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

Scott Alexander lists five reasons why Guy Fawkes Day should be forgotten, demonstrating how easy it is to generate arguments when one puts some thought into it. Longer summary

This post presents a list of five reasons why Guy Fawkes Day (Gunpowder Treason) should be forgotten. The reasons range from historical anti-Catholic bigotry to modern associations with internet culture. Scott Alexander provides this list not because he's against the celebration, but to demonstrate that it's possible to come up with reasons for something if one thinks about it for a few minutes. Shorter summary

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

Scott Alexander uses historical data to refute the Reactionary claim that modern society increases war, showing instead that violence has decreased significantly in progressive eras. Longer summary

Scott Alexander rebuts the Reactionary claim that modern society causes increased war and instability. He presents statistical evidence showing that wars and violence have significantly decreased in modern times, especially since World War II. The post examines historical data on war casualties, finding that the most progressive periods in history are also the most peaceful, while periods favored by Reactionaries (like the 1600s) were among the deadliest. Scott argues that even accounting for technological advances in warfare, the past was generally more violent. He also points out that in recent times, wars are mostly limited to less progressive countries. The post concludes that as the world has become more progressive over the past 70 years, conflicts and deaths from conflict have dropped precipitously. Shorter summary

Scott argues that even if past cultures were superior, restoring them is impossible because cultures evolve to fit their technological conditions, which have changed dramatically. Longer summary

This post argues against Reactionary ideas, even if one grants their assumptions about the superiority of past cultures. The main points are: 1) Historical changes are driven by technological progress, not individual actors. 2) Cultures evolve to adapt to their technological conditions. 3) Past cultures were adapted to past conditions, not current ones, so restoring them wouldn't work. 4) Many negative aspects of modern society are due to technological changes, not political ones. Scott uses analogies like computer operating systems and puppets to illustrate these ideas. He concludes by outlining possible counterarguments Reactionaries could make to save their position. Shorter summary