How to avoid getting lost reading Scott Alexander and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

See also Top Posts and All Tags.

Minutes:
Blog:
Year:
4542 tags
Show all filters
3 posts found
Jun 25, 2024
acx

Clarification On "Fake Tradition Is Traditional"

4 min • 476 words • 350 comments • 116 likes • podcast
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

12 min • 1,535 words • 813 comments • 349 likes • podcast
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
Nov 09, 2017
ssc

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis

25 min • 3,144 words • 214 comments • podcast
A warrior seeks help from Alchemists to save a prince, but is refused as the Alchemist explains their multi-generational quest for immortality cannot be interrupted. Longer summary
The post is a fictional story about an encounter between a warrior and an Alchemist. The warrior comes to request help from the Alchemists' guild to save a dying prince, but the Alchemist refuses, explaining that their work cannot be interrupted. Through a series of analogies involving architecture and knowledge accumulation, the Alchemist explains the nature of their work: a multi-generational effort to create the Philosopher's Stone and achieve immortality. The Alchemist argues that their work is so advanced and time-sensitive that even a brief interruption would set them back generations. The story explores themes of knowledge transmission, the limits of human lifespan, and the pursuit of immortality. Shorter summary