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Jun 25, 2024
acx

Clarification On "Fake Tradition Is Traditional"

4 min • 476 words • 350 comments • 116 likes • podcast (4 min)
Scott Alexander refines his thoughts on tradition formation, proposing a three-part model that emphasizes the success of practical actions and those tied to tradition. Longer summary
Scott Alexander clarifies his previous post on tradition, proposing a three-part model for understanding the creation of traditions and rituals. He suggests that both purely practical actions and those tied to sacredness or tradition can evolve into valuable aesthetics, rituals, or communities. However, attempts to create these elements without reference to practicality or tradition tend to be less successful. Scott uses examples from architecture, Jewish wedding customs, and Halloween traditions to illustrate his points. Shorter summary
Jun 20, 2024
acx

Fake Tradition Is Traditional

11 min • 1,535 words • 813 comments • 349 likes • podcast (9 min)
Scott Alexander defends the practice of looking to idealized traditions for inspiration, arguing it's a common and useful human approach to creativity and innovation. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of tradition and how it's often misunderstood or criticized. He argues that references to the past or tradition are often just 'pointers' to specific aspects people appreciate, not necessarily an endorsement of everything from that era. He challenges the idea that past cultures didn't look back to idealized histories, providing examples from various periods showing how looking to an idealized past has been a common human practice. Scott suggests that using tradition as inspiration can be a psychologically easier way to introduce new ideas or practices than presenting them as entirely original. Shorter summary
Jun 11, 2019
ssc

Highlights From The Comments On Cultural Evolution

41 min • 5,629 words • 131 comments • podcast (38 min)
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various comments on his review of 'The Secret of Our Success', covering topics from language evolution to cultural practices and critiques of the book's claims. Longer summary
This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's review of 'The Secret of Our Success'. It covers various topics including language creation, human strength compared to apes, cultural evolution, traditional practices, and the interplay between tradition and rationality. The post also touches on critiques of the book's claims, discussions on illegible preferences, and parallels with psychoanalytic concepts. It ends with perspectives on labor practices in Dubai and insights from StarCraft 2 strategies as metaphors for cultural evolution. Shorter summary
Jun 06, 2019
ssc

Asymmetric Weapons Gone Bad

28 min • 3,807 words • 458 comments • podcast (27 min)
Scott Alexander examines how increased rational debate doesn't always lead to truth, using personal and societal examples, and suggests ways to carefully approach traditions and changes. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the concept of asymmetric weapons, which work better for good guys than bad guys, and how sometimes this asymmetry can be reversed. He discusses how increased rational debate and resources don't always lead to truth, using examples like minimum wage debates and personal habits. The post then examines societal-level examples, such as debates about politicians' salaries and early 20th-century socialism. Scott concludes with suggestions on how to approach traditions and changes carefully, emphasizing the importance of understanding before discarding, tolerating unexplained behaviors, and gradually improving on obsolete traditions. Shorter summary
Jun 04, 2019
ssc

Book Review: The Secret Of Our Success

57 min • 7,907 words • 505 comments • podcast (53 min)
Scott reviews 'The Secret of Our Success' by Joseph Henrich, which argues that culture, not raw intelligence, is key to human success and explores the evolutionary basis for cultural transmission. Longer summary
Scott reviews Joseph Henrich's book 'The Secret of Our Success', which argues that culture, not raw intelligence, is the key to human success. The book explores how humans evolved to transmit culture with high fidelity, how cultural practices often contain hidden wisdom that individuals can't easily figure out on their own, and how reason can sometimes lead people astray from beneficial cultural traditions. Scott finds the book's arguments compelling and sees it as an important contribution to understanding the value of tradition. Shorter summary
Sep 18, 2013
ssc

Inefficient Hot Dogs

3 min • 315 words • 54 comments
Scott Alexander examines the hot dog and bun quantity mismatch as evidence that markets may not always efficiently respond to consumer preferences. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the economic puzzle of why hot dogs are sold in packs of ten while buns are sold in packs of eight. He argues that this inefficient mismatch shouldn't persist in a free market, as companies should quickly capitalize on consumer demand for matching quantities. The post uses this seemingly trivial example to question broader economic theories about market efficiency and company responsiveness to consumer preferences, suggesting that industries might fail to respond to incentives for extended periods due to factors like tradition. Shorter summary