Want to dive into Scott Alexander's work and his thousands of blog posts? This fan website lets you sort and do semantic search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

See also Top Posts and All Tags.

Tag: book review

Minutes:
Pick a custom range (minutes). Leave a field empty for no limit.
–
Blog:
Year:
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
5183 tags
208 posts found
Compact Mode
Save Reads
Jun 03, 2026
acx
Read on

Choose Book Review Finalists 2026

2 min • 176 words • 302 comments • 105 likes
Scott announces the finalist selection phase for the 2026 Book Review Contest, asking readers to help rate 162 entries using a new website built by Rob Ennals. Longer summary
Scott announces that the 2026 Book Review Contest has received 162 entries and needs to be narrowed down to about a dozen finalists. Since he can't read all entries alone, he's asking readers to help by rating as many reviews as they have time for on a scale of 1-10. Rob Ennals, a software engineer, has built a dedicated website to make the rating process easier, which displays reviews randomly by default to ensure diverse coverage. Readers have until June 15 to submit their ratings. Shorter summary
May 29, 2026
acx
Read on

Book Review: The Dialectical Imagination

52 min • 8,034 words • 666 comments • 719 likes • podcast (47 min)
Scott reviews a history of the Frankfurt School, explaining their response to Marxism's failures through negative dialectics, cultural criticism, and the belief that society needed conceptual transformation before communist revolution could succeed, while examining their actual influence on modern leftism. Longer summary
Scott reviews Martin Jay's 'The Dialectical Imagination,' examining the Frankfurt School's philosophy through various analogies including mysticism, Zen Buddhism, and Kuhnian paradigm shifts. He traces how the school emerged from the crisis of Marxism's failed predictions, developing 'negative dialectics' and focusing on cultural criticism rather than direct political action. The review explores key figures like Adorno, Horkheimer, and Marcuse, their obscure theories about art and society, and their belief that capitalism corrupts not just economics but consciousness itself. Scott concludes by examining whether the Frankfurt School actually influenced modern progressive movements, finding some connection through their emphasis on criticism over concrete solutions, while noting they warned against misinterpretation of their ideas. Shorter summary
Feb 20, 2026
acx
Read on

Book Review Contest Rules 2026

5 min • 651 words • 87 comments • 119 likes • podcast (4 min)
Scott announces the 2026 book review contest with a May 20th deadline, requiring anonymized submissions via Google Form, offering prizes of at least $2,500/$1,000/$500 for the top three winners. Longer summary
Scott announces the 2026 book review contest with rules and guidelines. Entries should be book reviews between 2,000-10,000 words, submitted via Google Form with an anonymized Google Doc by May 20th. The contest will have a finalist selection round voted on by readers in spring, with finalists posted weekly through summer, followed by final voting in late summer/fall. Prizes are at least $2,500 for first place, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third, plus publicity, free subscriptions, and potential writing opportunities. Scott emphasizes the contest should be blind (no identifying information in the document itself) and notes he may provide mild affirmative action for nontraditional categories like fiction, poetry, or pre-1900 books. Shorter summary
Nov 06, 2025
acx
Read on

The Bloomer's Paradox

19 min • 2,899 words • 407 comments • 437 likes • podcast (18 min)
Scott examines a paradox where bloomers and anti-doomers warn against apocalyptic thinking while treating doomerism itself as an unprecedented existential crisis requiring drastic action. Longer summary
Scott analyzes Jason Pargin's novel 'I'm Starting To Worry About This Black Box Of Doom' and similar arguments from Peter Thiel, Tyler Cowen, and progress studies advocates, noting they all share a contradiction: they argue we should stop treating problems as unprecedented crises, except for the problem of treating problems as crises, which they present as uniquely dangerous. The post examines how these thinkers simultaneously advocate against doomerism while expressing extreme concern about doomerism itself. Scott argues this reveals that strong views about a 'crisis of doomerism' are incompatible with worldviews that reject the existence of real crises, and concludes that optimism should be a heuristic rather than an absolute principle, with problems (including excessive doomerism) evaluated based on evidence using consistent standards. Shorter summary
Oct 30, 2025
acx
Read on

Links For October 2025

42 min • 6,434 words • 826 comments • 185 likes • podcast (38 min)
Scott Alexander presents 51 links covering AI progress and safety, political developments, scientific research, cultural oddities, and ongoing philosophical debates about miracles and education reform. Longer summary
Scott Alexander shares 51 links covering diverse topics including AI developments (agents, safety, consciousness research), political news (Ukraine policy, UK politics, Trump administration), science updates (climate predictions, genetics, bacteriophages), cultural curiosities (Shakespeare superfan plastic surgery, Soviet naming conventions, flag cones), health research (Alzheimer's prevention, shingles vaccine reducing dementia, kidney donation), and philosophical debates (Hume's argument against miracles, the Fatima miracle discussion). The post maintains Scott's characteristic blend of serious analysis and quirky observations, touching on everything from Bach's descendants in Oklahoma to the mystery of why AI still struggles with laundry folding despite mastering protein folding. Shorter summary
Oct 17, 2025
acx
Read on

Non-Book Review Contest 2025 Winners

12 min • 1,813 words • 277 comments • 125 likes • podcast (10 min)
Scott announces the winners and finalists of the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest, with prizes ranging from free subscriptions to $2500, and provides bios for all the winning authors. Longer summary
Scott announces the winners of the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest, with first place going to a review of Joan of Arc, second place to Alpha School, and third place to the Russo-Ukrainian War. The post lists all finalists and honorable mentions with brief bios of the authors, explains the prizes (ranging from free ACX subscriptions to cash awards of $2500 for first place), and notes that the contest will alternate yearly between book reviews and non-book reviews going forward. Shorter summary
Oct 03, 2025
acx
Read on

Vote In The 2025 Non-Book Review Contest

2 min • 234 words • 134 comments • 57 likes
Scott opens voting for the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest finalists, listing all thirteen entries and providing a link to the ranked-choice voting form. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces voting for the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest finalists, providing links to all thirteen finalist entries and the voting form. The post lists the diverse topics of the finalists, ranging from education and science to personal experiences and historical events. Voting will use ranked choice format where voters pick their top three choices, and closes on October 13. Shorter summary
Sep 11, 2025
acx
Read on

Book Review: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies

46 min • 7,096 words • 1,060 comments • 480 likes • podcast (43 min)
Scott reviews a new book by Yudkowsky and Soares that makes an uncompromising case for halting AI development to prevent human extinction, analyzing both its arguments and its potential impact as a call to action. Longer summary
Scott reviews Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares' upcoming book 'If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies' about AI safety. The book makes an uncompromising case that AI development will likely lead to human extinction and should be halted immediately through an international treaty and arms control regime. Scott analyzes both the book's arguments and writing style, finding the core message compelling but questioning some of the specific scenarios presented. He reflects on why many people reject existential AI risk warnings using similar dismissive patterns seen with other potential catastrophic risks. Shorter summary
Aug 22, 2025
acx
Read on

Your Review: Ollantay

40 min • 6,138 words • 189 comments • 194 likes • podcast (33 min)
A review of Ollantay, a 1775 Quechua play that inspired the Túpac Amaru II rebellion in Peru, exploring how its plot became a deadly script for real historical events. Longer summary
This book review discusses Ollantay, a Quechua play from 1775 Peru that directly inspired the Túpac Amaru II rebellion. The review explores how the play's plot closely mirrors the real events of the rebellion, which led to 100,000 deaths. The author analyzes the mysterious origins of the play, its artistic merits, and its role as a 'cognitohazard' that influenced José Gabriel Condorcanqui (Túpac Amaru II) to follow its script, leading to tragedy. The review ends with reflections on how certain works of art seem designed to influence specific individuals to change history. Shorter summary
Aug 01, 2025
acx
Read on

Your Review: Joan of Arc

172 min • 26,568 words • 272 comments • 396 likes • podcast (139 min)
A book review examining the evidence for Joan of Arc's miraculous abilities and accomplishments, analyzing historical sources and debating whether she was divinely inspired, mentally ill, or part of a conspiracy. Longer summary
This review examines the historical evidence surrounding Joan of Arc, particularly focusing on the extensive documentation of her life through trial records and witness testimonies. The post first provides historical context about the Hundred Years' War and France's desperate situation, then recounts Joan's remarkable military achievements and her eventual capture and execution. The author analyzes three possible explanations for Joan's abilities: divine inspiration, mental illness, or conspiracy, while noting the complexity penalties in trying to explain her military genius, theological knowledge, and apparent prophetic abilities through non-supernatural means. The post ends with reflections on what Joan's case means for historical evidence and religious faith. Shorter summary
Jul 15, 2025
acx
Read on

Book Review: Arguments About Aborigines

49 min • 7,481 words • 577 comments • 445 likes • podcast (44 min)
A review of L.R. Hiatt's book on Aboriginal anthropology that examines the complexity of their traditional social structures and practices, while exploring broader questions about cultural evolution and the impact of colonialism. Longer summary
Scott reviews 'Arguments About Aborigines' by L.R. Hiatt, which explores two centuries of anthropological debates about Australian Aboriginal society. The book reveals both the incredible complexity of Aboriginal social structures and practices, and the challenges anthropologists faced in understanding them. Scott examines specific aspects like their section system (which divides people into eight categories determining marriage and social relations), mother-in-law taboos, and initiation rituals, using these to explore broader questions about cultural evolution and adaptation. The review concludes by discussing the tragic effects of colonialism on Aboriginal society, while acknowledging both the remarkable adaptations of traditional Aboriginal culture and its more troubling aspects. Shorter summary
Jul 11, 2025
acx
Read on

Your Review: Of Mice, Mechanisms, and Dementia

51 min • 7,754 words • 170 comments • 183 likes • podcast (48 min)
A detailed review of a 1995 paper introducing the PDAPP mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, examining how its limitations were overlooked and shaped decades of potentially misguided Alzheimer's research. Longer summary
The post reviews a landmark 1995 paper introducing the PDAPP mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, analyzing how its technical achievements and limitations shaped three decades of Alzheimer's research. The author examines the paper's methodology, results, and claims, showing how the model's flaws - including extreme protein overexpression and lack of key disease features - were overlooked in favor of a compelling but incomplete amyloid cascade hypothesis, leading to years of failed drug development and missed opportunities to explore alternative approaches. Shorter summary
Jul 09, 2025
acx
Read on

Practically-A-Book Review: Byrnes on Trance

28 min • 4,235 words • 397 comments • 258 likes • podcast (25 min)
Scott reviews Steven Byrnes' work explaining how our perception of self and consciousness can flip between different models, similar to optical illusions, which explains phenomena like trance, hypnosis, and spiritual experiences. Longer summary
Scott reviews Steven Byrnes' 2024 series on predictive processing and self-models. The post explains how our perception of both external reality and internal mental states is based on models that can be bistable (flip between two interpretations). Just as optical illusions can flip between two interpretations, our sense of self can flip between different models. This explains phenomena like trance, hypnosis, dissociative disorders, and spiritual experiences. The post details how trance states work through a four-step process of belief, relaxation, suppressing contrary evidence, and gathering supporting evidence, then applies this framework to explain various psychological phenomena including Buddhist enlightenment and Julian Jaynes' theories about ancient consciousness. Shorter summary
Jun 03, 2025
acx
Read on

Choose Nonbook Review Finalists 2025

5 min • 760 words • 297 comments • 70 likes • podcast (7 min)
Scott asks readers to help select finalists for the Non-Book Review Contest by rating entries through a provided form, with voting open until June 20. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the voting phase for the Non-Book Review Contest 2025, asking readers to help narrow down 141 entries to about a dozen finalists. He provides links to categorized lists of entries (Other A-I, J-S, T-Z, Games, Music, TV/Movies) and a rating form. He specifically asks readers not to read entries in order but either randomly or based on interest, to ensure more even distribution of votes. The post includes the full list of entries and mentions a June 20 deadline for voting. Shorter summary
May 15, 2025
acx
Read on

Book Review: Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids

43 min • 6,548 words • 748 comments • 442 likes • podcast (41 min)
Scott reviews Bryan Caplan's book arguing that modern parents can relax their intensive parenting, while wrestling with whether this advice still applies in the age of smartphones and social media. Longer summary
Scott reviews Bryan Caplan's book 'Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids', exploring its main arguments about how parents today spend much more time on childcare than previous generations despite evidence that parenting style doesn't greatly affect outcomes. The post explores historical childcare data, the cultural shift away from letting kids play unsupervised, and modern challenges like screen time. Scott, dealing with his own twins, finds the book's advice about relaxing parenting standards compelling but struggles with modern concerns about phones and technology that weren't relevant when the book was written in 2011. Shorter summary
Feb 28, 2025
acx
Read on

Everything-Except-Book Review Contest 2025

4 min • 587 words • 133 comments • 140 likes • podcast (4 min)
Scott announces a contest for reviews of anything except books, with prizes ranging from $500 to $2,500, due May 12th. Longer summary
Scott announces a variation on his yearly book review contest: instead of reviewing books, participants should review anything else - movies, products, societies, abstract concepts, etc. The post outlines the contest rules, including word count guidelines (2,000-10,000 words), submission process through a Google Form, and prize money ($2,500 for first place). Scott emphasizes that submissions should be anonymous and provides formatting guidelines for footnotes. Shorter summary
Dec 04, 2024
acx
Read on

Book Review: From Bauhaus To Our House

59 min • 9,037 words • 684 comments • 348 likes • podcast (58 min)
Scott reviews Tom Wolfe's 'From Bauhaus To Our House', which explains how modernist architecture took over American buildings despite being widely disliked, through a combination of European influence, academic capture, and institutional pressures. Longer summary
The book explores how modern architecture, originating from socialist artistic movements in Europe, conquered American architecture despite being unpopular with the public. After fleeing Nazi Germany, modernist architects were given prestigious positions in American universities, where they quickly eliminated traditional architectural teaching. Though most people disliked the new style, institutional pressures and loss of traditional crafting expertise made it dominant. The book follows the movement's evolution through various schools and styles, all maintaining the core modernist principles while fighting amongst themselves about subtle theoretical differences. Scott praises Wolfe's uncompromising criticism but notes he would have appreciated more explanation of what the architects thought they were achieving. Shorter summary
Nov 12, 2024
acx
Read on

Book Review: The Rise Of Christianity

59 min • 9,057 words • 736 comments • 388 likes • podcast (53 min)
Scott Alexander reviews Rodney Stark's 'The Rise of Christianity', which examines factors contributing to Christianity's growth from a small cult to a dominant religion in the Roman Empire. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews 'The Rise of Christianity' by Rodney Stark, which explores how Christianity grew from a small cult to dominate Western history. Stark, a sociologist, applies modern religious study insights to early Christianity. The book argues that Christianity's growth was steady and explainable through factors like social networks, appeal to women, fertility differences, plague survival, and moral teachings. Scott analyzes each argument, finding some more convincing than others, and ultimately suggests that Christianity's unique emphasis on love and virtue may have been its most significant advantage. Shorter summary
Oct 17, 2024
acx
Read on

Book Review: Deep Utopia

34 min • 5,137 words • 579 comments • 256 likes • podcast (30 min)
Scott Alexander reviews Nick Bostrom's 'Deep Utopia', which explores the concept of a technologically perfect utopia and discusses how to maintain meaning and purpose in such a world. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews Nick Bostrom's book 'Deep Utopia', which explores the concept of a technologically advanced utopia where all problems are solved and people can do whatever they want. The book discusses whether such a utopia would be fulfilling or boring, and proposes various solutions to maintain meaning and purpose in such a world. Scott analyzes Bostrom's ideas, critiques some aspects, and expands on the concept, considering additional implications and scenarios not fully explored in the book. Shorter summary
Oct 11, 2024
acx
Read on

Book Review Contest 2024 Winners

10 min • 1,500 words • 249 comments • 136 likes • podcast (8 min)
Scott Alexander announces the winners and finalists of the 2024 Book Review Contest, with prizes for the top three reviews. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the winners of the 2024 Book Review Contest. The top three winners are Amanda's review of 'Two Arms And A Head', David Matolcsi's review of 'Nine Lives', and Jack Thorlin's review of 'How The War Was Won'. The post lists the other finalists and honorable mentions, providing brief descriptions of the reviewers. Scott mentions potential changes to the contest format for future years, considering an 'Everything-Except-Book-Reviews' contest for next year. Shorter summary
Sep 27, 2024
acx
Read on

Vote In The 2024 Book Review Contest

3 min • 325 words • 153 comments • 54 likes
Scott Alexander opens voting for the 2024 Book Review Contest, explaining the approval voting system and listing the finalists. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces the voting process for the 2024 Book Review Contest. He explains that this year they are using approval voting, where voters can select multiple favorites, and the entry with the most votes wins. Scott provides a link to the voting form, lists the 14 finalist book reviews, and mentions a prediction market for the contest outcome. He advises voters not to check the prediction market until after voting. Shorter summary
Sep 20, 2024
acx
Read on

Your Book Review: The Ballad of the White Horse

39 min • 6,044 words • 245 comments • 183 likes • podcast (38 min)
A review of G.K. Chesterton's 'The Ballad of the White Horse', examining its themes of hope, fate, and the need for constant renewal in preserving what is valuable. Longer summary
This review analyzes G.K. Chesterton's epic poem 'The Ballad of the White Horse', focusing on its themes of hope versus fate and the eternal revolution. The poem tells the story of King Alfred the Great's struggle against Viking invaders, using it as a vehicle to explore Chesterton's ideas about Christianity, conservatism, and the need for constant renewal to preserve good things. The reviewer highlights how Chesterton contrasts Christian hope with pagan fatalism, and explains the concept of the 'eternal revolution' - the idea that preserving anything of value requires ongoing effort and renewal, symbolized by the White Horse of Uffington that must be regularly maintained to persist. Shorter summary
Sep 13, 2024
acx
Read on

Your Book Review: Nine Lives

54 min • 8,314 words • 303 comments • 301 likes • podcast (46 min)
A review of 'Nine Lives', a memoir by ex-jihadist turned spy Aimen Dean, offering insights into al-Qaeda's operations and the challenges of counterterrorism. Longer summary
This review discusses Aimen Dean's memoir 'Nine Lives', which details his experiences as a jihadist turned British spy infiltrating al-Qaeda. The review highlights key insights from the book, including the motivations behind jihadism, the role of religious prophecies in terrorist strategies, the challenges of intelligence work, and Dean's perspective on countering radicalization. It also touches on the book's implications for understanding terrorist organizations, their tactics, and the complexities of counterterrorism efforts. Shorter summary
Sep 06, 2024
acx
Read on

Your Book Review: The Pale King

45 min • 6,959 words • 283 comments • 237 likes • podcast (46 min)
A review of David Foster Wallace's 'The Pale King', examining its themes, the author's style and personal struggles, and the reviewer's evolving perspective on Wallace's work and legacy. Longer summary
This book review discusses David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel 'The Pale King', focusing on its themes, Wallace's writing style, and his personal struggles. The review explores Wallace's attempt to transcend postmodernism, his critique of consumer culture, and his vision for a more sincere and morally engaged society. It also delves into Wallace's mental health issues, his suicide, and the posthumous controversy surrounding his personal life. The reviewer reflects on their own journey with Wallace's work, from initial admiration to eventual disillusionment, while still acknowledging the value and limitations of his literary contributions. Shorter summary
Aug 30, 2024
acx
Read on

Your Book Review: The History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe

15 min • 2,173 words • 216 comments • 130 likes • podcast (16 min)
The review examines W.E.H. Lecky's book on the rise of rationalism in Europe, praising its scholarship and insights into the gradual shift from medieval to rational thinking. Longer summary
This review discusses W.E.H. Lecky's 'The History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe', a book that explores the decline of medieval beliefs and the emergence of rationalism in Europe. The reviewer provides context with an anecdote about a 19th-century 'demonic possession' case, then details Lecky's life and the book's creation. The review outlines the book's main thesis: that rationalism triumphed not through logic, but through gradual social, political, and industrial influences. The reviewer praises the book's scholarship, fascinating facts, and diverse historical figures, recommending it to readers interested in intellectual history. Shorter summary
Per page:
Showing 1 to 25 of 208 results
Get these search results in an EPUB

Your filters match 208 posts.

Posts to include
–
Leave empty to keep the defaults. Range cannot exceed 500 posts.
Download now

Generates an EPUB right now and downloads it to your device.

Send to email

Generates an EPUB in the background and emails you a temporary download link.

Your email is not shared with anyone.

Email address