How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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16 posts found
Mar 15, 2024
acx

In Partial Grudging Defense Of Some Aspects Of Therapy Culture

7 min • 850 words • 240 comments • 173 likes • podcast (5 min)
Scott Alexander presents a partial defense of 'therapy culture', comparing its focus on self-discovery to helping people overcome a form of 'preference alexithymia'. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'therapy culture' and its focus on finding one's 'true self'. He presents a defense of this approach by comparing it to alexithymia, a condition where people struggle to identify their emotions. Scott extends this idea to preferences, suggesting that some people might have a form of 'preference alexithymia'. In this light, therapy culture's emphasis on self-discovery could be seen as helping people recognize and understand their own preferences, rather than imposing artificial ones. However, he also acknowledges the potential risks of this approach, such as therapists potentially convincing people they have preferences they don't actually have. Shorter summary
Feb 21, 2024
acx

Highlights From The Comments On Polyamory

79 min • 10,961 words • 461 comments • 88 likes • podcast (57 min)
Scott Alexander responds to comments on polyamory, providing data and addressing concerns about relationship satisfaction, child-rearing, and abuse risks in poly relationships. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous posts about polyamory, addressing various arguments and providing data where possible. He discusses statistics on relationship satisfaction and child-rearing in poly vs. monogamous relationships, addresses concerns about abuse risks, and shares personal observations. The post touches on cultural perceptions of polyamory, its prevalence among different groups, and potential societal impacts. Scott also reflects on some new insights he gained from the discussion, particularly around child-rearing in poly relationships and abuse risks. Shorter summary
Feb 07, 2024
acx

You Don't Hate Polyamory, You Hate People Who Write Books

13 min • 1,713 words • 847 comments • 394 likes • podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander argues against judging polyamory based on memoirs or advice books, as these are often written by unrepresentative individuals. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques a pattern in media where people generalize about polyamory based on memoirs or advice books. He argues that this is unfair, as such books are often written by people with relationship issues or narcissistic tendencies, not representative of the average polyamorous person. He extends this critique to other groups, suggesting that public representatives often poorly reflect the actual members of various communities. Shorter summary
Jul 06, 2023
acx

Links For July 2023

26 min • 3,573 words • 544 comments • 117 likes • podcast (19 min)
A diverse collection of links and news items from July 2023, covering topics from historical curiosities to current technological and social developments. Longer summary
This post is a collection of interesting links and news items from July 2023. It covers a wide range of topics including historical curiosities, scientific studies, social issues, technological advancements, and current events. The post touches on subjects such as town naming, polyamory research, AI developments, and political decisions. It also includes some humorous and unusual facts, as well as commentary on social and cultural trends. Shorter summary
Sep 30, 2022
acx

Highlights From The Comments On Unpredictable Reward

34 min • 4,678 words • 29 comments • 67 likes • podcast (38 min)
Scott Alexander explores various commenters' insights on the neuroscience of reward, happiness, and relationships, expanding on his original post about unpredictable rewards. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses highlights from comments on his post 'Unpredictable Reward, Predictable Happiness', covering topics such as neuroscience of reward, dopamine, and relationships. He explores various perspectives on how the brain processes rewards, predictions, and happiness, including insights from neuroscientists, psychologists, and personal anecdotes. The post touches on topics like abusive relationships, polyamory, wealth and happiness, and the cognitive burden of poverty. Shorter summary
Feb 14, 2018
ssc

Even More Search Terms That Led People To This Blog

9 min • 1,190 words • 133 comments • podcast (12 min)
Scott Alexander humorously presents and comments on bizarre search terms that led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews unusual search terms that led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. The post is a humorous collection of bizarre, sometimes disturbing, and often nonsensical search queries. Scott groups similar queries together and adds witty commentary, creating a comedic effect through the juxtaposition of unrelated or absurd concepts. The post highlights the strange and varied interests of internet users, as well as common misspellings of terms like 'Glasgow Coma Scale' and 'Slate Star Codex'. Shorter summary
May 17, 2017
ssc

Polyamory Is Not Polygyny

7 min • 968 words • 791 comments
Scott Alexander uses survey data to challenge claims that polyamory leads to a few men monopolizing women, showing these criticisms don't match reality in practice. Longer summary
Scott Alexander addresses criticisms of polyamory from both conservative and pickup artist perspectives, which claim it leads to a few high-status men monopolizing women. Using survey data from the Less Wrong community, he shows these criticisms don't match reality. The data suggests poly women have more partners on average than poly men, and poly men are less likely to be single than monogamous men. Scott acknowledges potential biases in the data but argues it still contradicts the critics' theories. He invites critics to suggest what data would convince them in future surveys. Shorter summary
Mar 31, 2015
ssc

Rational Orthography

4 min • 516 words • 203 comments
The author humorously advocates for the revival of boustrophedon, an ancient Greek writing system, as a more efficient reading method. Longer summary
This post humorously introduces the concept of boustrophedon, an ancient Greek writing system that alternates between left-to-right and right-to-left lines. The author argues that boustrophedon is more efficient for readers but was abandoned due to scribes' laziness. He then jokingly announces that his blog will now display in boustrophedon, comparing it to other 'weird-but-effective' practices like DVORAK keyboards, polyamory, and homeschooling. The post ends with a recommendation for a boustrophedon text reader, playfully suggesting a movement towards this writing system. Shorter summary
Feb 11, 2015
ssc

Black People Less Likely

18 min • 2,462 words • 475 comments
Scott Alexander argues that polyamory's low black representation is part of a broader pattern across many subcultures, proposing general explanations and criticizing how this issue is often weaponized. Longer summary
Scott Alexander examines the claim that polyamory has a problem with underrepresentation of black people. He argues this is part of a broader pattern where many subcultures and interest groups have low black representation, listing numerous examples. He proposes several general factors that likely contribute to this pattern, such as affluence requirements, education levels, and cultural factors. Scott criticizes how underrepresentation is often used disingenuously to attack groups, and expresses frustration that polyamory is being singled out for criticism when the pattern is so widespread. Shorter summary
Sep 27, 2014
ssc

Cuddle Culture

10 min • 1,337 words • 351 comments
Scott examines the benefits of cuddle culture, particularly for asexual people in polyamorous relationships, and speculates on the factors that allow such a culture to thrive in certain communities. Longer summary
Scott explores the intersection of polyamory, asexuality, and cuddle culture. He begins by discussing Heartiste's criticism of polyamory, agreeing that it can work well for asexual people. He then examines the Cuddlr app, arguing that cuddling is the opposite of objectifying and can foster a sense of universal love. Finally, he reflects on the prevalence of cuddle culture in nerdy, polyamorous communities, speculating on the factors that allow such a culture to thrive. Throughout, Scott emphasizes the personal and social benefits of cuddling, particularly for asexual individuals in polyamorous relationships. Shorter summary
Sep 22, 2014
ssc

SSC Gives A Wedding Speech

12 min • 1,576 words • 69 comments
Scott Alexander delivers a wedding speech for Mike and Hannah Blume, blending personal anecdotes, humor, and reflections on the couple's potential impact on future generations. Longer summary
Scott Alexander gives a speech at the wedding of Mike Blume and Hannah 'Alicorn' Blume, recounting his history with the couple and his admiration for their relationship. He discusses how he met Hannah, his initial reluctance to attend weddings, and his growing friendship with Mike. Scott praises their relationship as a model of mutual respect and love. The speech then takes an unexpected turn to population genetics, explaining how all humans are descendants of historical figures, and concludes by highlighting the couple's potential impact on future generations. The speech balances humor, personal anecdotes, and philosophical musings about the future of humanity. Shorter summary
Mar 13, 2014
ssc

Five Years and One Week of Less Wrong

20 min • 2,683 words • 180 comments
Scott Alexander reflects on five years of Less Wrong, highlighting the community's intellectual progress in various areas of rationality and philosophy. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on the fifth anniversary of Less Wrong, a rationalist community blog. He notes how many ideas that now seem obvious were once novel and exciting to the community. He covers several areas where Less Wrong has made progress, including understanding akrasia, decision theory, meta-contrarianism, trivial inconveniences, problems with scientific processes, effective altruism, and novel social norms. Scott concludes by expressing excitement about the intellectual progress the community has made, suggesting there's a path of development where insights that once seemed inscrutable become clear over time. Shorter summary
Feb 03, 2014
ssc

More Search Terms That Have Led People To This Blog

19 min • 2,577 words • 79 comments
Scott Alexander analyzes bizarre and amusing search terms that led people to his blog, revealing unexpected insights into internet users' interests and concerns. Longer summary
Scott Alexander humorously examines the search terms that have led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex. He categorizes these terms into various amusing groups, including people searching for information about incest, polyamory critics, time travelers, political manifestos, students trying to cheat on homework, and people interested in albino black people. The post highlights the often bizarre, sometimes concerning, and frequently hilarious nature of internet searches, providing insight into the diverse and unexpected interests of online users. Scott uses this data to reflect on how these searches can provide a window into people's real thoughts and concerns, often differing greatly from what we might expect. Shorter summary
Dec 13, 2013
ssc

More Links For December

12 min • 1,559 words • 46 comments
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of interesting links and brief commentary on topics ranging from historical anecdotes to recent technological and scientific developments. Longer summary
This post is a collection of interesting links and brief commentary on various topics. It covers historical anecdotes, technological developments, scientific discoveries, social issues, and quirky facts. Scott Alexander discusses topics such as Amazon's drone delivery announcement, promising medical technologies, cancer research, personality disorders, polyamory, and unusual state facts. The post has a lighthearted tone and includes a mix of serious analysis and humorous observations. Shorter summary
May 13, 2013
ssc

Raikoth: Economics, Relationships

10 min • 1,304 words • 44 comments
The post details the economic and relationship systems of Raikoth, a fictional society designed to optimize for goodness and weirdness. Longer summary
This post describes two aspects of Raikoth, a fictional society: its economics and relationships. The economic system is based on a basic income guarantee with minimal government intervention, using a basket of taxes including land taxes, estate taxes, and taxes on large corporations. The relationship system involves an annual festival called Temion Mirun, where a computer algorithm matches people for year-long 'handfastings'. These can lead to more permanent marriages with various contract options. The author notes that this society is designed to optimize for goodness while erring on the side of weirdness, in contrast to real-world approaches that prioritize safety. Shorter summary
Apr 06, 2013
ssc

Polyamory Is Boring

17 min • 2,243 words • 303 comments
Scott Alexander shares his journey from skepticism to acceptance of polyamory, challenging common misconceptions and describing his personal experiences. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on his experience with polyamory, describing how his initial skepticism transformed into acceptance and participation. He compares the normalization of polyamory to historical shifts in social norms, like the acceptance of Irish immigrants. Scott challenges common misconceptions about polyamory, emphasizing that it's more about meaningful relationships than casual sex. He discusses the rarity of jealousy in his experience and the prevalence of compersion. The post concludes with thoughts on the 'primary relationship' structure in polyamory and acknowledges some personal uncertainties about certain polyamorous arrangements. Shorter summary