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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38 posts found
Sep 03, 2024
acx

Interview Day At Thiel Capital

18 min • 2,459 words • 318 comments • 525 likes • podcast (15 min)
Scott Alexander presents a series of satirical job interviews at Thiel Capital, where candidates share increasingly absurd unpopular beliefs, highlighting the nature of conspiracy theories and contrarian thinking. Longer summary
This post is a satirical piece featuring a series of fictional job interviews at Thiel Capital. Each interview involves asking candidates to share an unpopular belief they hold. The responses range from absurd conspiracy theories to unconventional interpretations of historical events and scientific concepts. The interviewers' reactions highlight the absurdity of the candidates' beliefs, while also poking fun at the idea of 'based' or controversial opinions in tech and finance circles. The piece uses humor to explore themes of conspiracy theories, contrarian thinking, and the nature of unconventional beliefs. Shorter summary
Jun 27, 2024
acx

My 2024 Presidential Debate

30 min • 4,176 words • 177 comments • 400 likes • podcast (23 min)
Scott Alexander presents a satirical 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Trump, featuring increasingly absurd positions on various issues. Longer summary
Scott Alexander moderates a fictional presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the 2024 election. The debate takes surreal turns as both candidates express increasingly bizarre views on topics like states' existence, abortion, wokeness, conspiracy theories, and immigration. Biden expresses solipsistic doubts about reality, while Trump argues for an expanded notion of America based on anthropic reasoning. The debate highlights the absurdity of political discourse through exaggerated positions and philosophical tangents. Shorter summary
Apr 18, 2024
acx

Ye Olde Bay Area House Party

25 min • 3,370 words • 177 comments • 323 likes • podcast (18 min)
Scott Alexander writes a satirical account of a Bay Area house party, mocking various tech and social trends in a Chaucer-inspired style. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents another satirical Bay Area house party scenario, this time written in a Chaucer-inspired style. The narrator encounters various eccentric characters, each representing absurd or exaggerated tech and social trends. The post humorously critiques concepts like land acknowledgments, tunnel-digging ventures, anti-celebrity magazines, QR code browsers, and overzealous environmental protection. It also pokes fun at tech optimism, social awkwardness, and the Bay Area startup culture. Shorter summary
Dec 12, 2023
acx

Son Of Bride Of Bay Area House Party

19 min • 2,624 words • 266 comments • 446 likes • podcast (15 min)
Scott Alexander satirizes Silicon Valley culture through a fictional house party where everyone is obsessed with Sam Altman's firing from OpenAI. Longer summary
Scott Alexander writes a satirical account of a Bay Area house party, where conversations are dominated by speculation about Sam Altman's firing from OpenAI. The narrator encounters various eccentric characters, including startup founders with unusual ideas and people with conspiracy theories about the Altman situation. The story humorously exaggerates Silicon Valley culture, tech industry obsessions, and the tendency for people to form elaborate theories about current events. Shorter summary
Nov 07, 2023
acx

Hardball Questions For The Next Debate

16 min • 2,209 words • 200 comments • 428 likes • podcast (16 min)
Scott Alexander presents a satirical, fictional Republican primary debate with absurd rules to highlight candidate personalities and critique political debate formats. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical, fictional account of a Republican primary debate with unusual rules. The debate features Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Donald Trump answering questions while adhering to increasingly absurd constraints, such as avoiding specific letters, using certain words or phrases, or speaking in specific poetic forms. The satire highlights the candidates' personalities and political positions while critiquing the format of political debates and the state of American politics. Shorter summary
Sep 05, 2023
acx

My Presidential Platform

21 min • 2,801 words • 452 comments • 675 likes • podcast (16 min)
Scott Alexander presents a satirical presidential platform with outlandish and humorous policy proposals, critiquing various aspects of American politics and society. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical presidential platform with outlandish and humorous policy proposals. The post covers a range of topics including naval supremacy, sovereign citizens, climate change, military service, Supreme Court appointments, education, internet privacy, and cultural issues. Each proposal is presented with a mix of historical references, current events, and absurd logic, creating a comedic critique of American politics and society. Shorter summary
Aug 17, 2023
acx

Bride Of Bay Area House Party

22 min • 3,066 words • 242 comments • 365 likes • podcast (17 min)
Scott Alexander satirizes Bay Area culture through a fictional house party featuring absurd startup ideas and social trends. Longer summary
Scott Alexander describes a satirical Bay Area house party, featuring various absurd startup ideas and social trends. The narrative follows the protagonist encountering different characters, each presenting a ridiculous concept or social commentary. These include an automated land acknowledger, a restaurant based on historical food descriptions, a reality TV dating show as a dating strategy, the reveal of 'Max Roser' as a title, and an urbanist's attempt to solve housing issues with intentionally ugly architecture. The story humorously critiques various aspects of Bay Area culture, tech startups, and social justice initiatives. Shorter summary
Jan 04, 2023
acx

Even More Bay Area House Party

26 min • 3,563 words • 385 comments • 476 likes • podcast (23 min)
A satirical account of a Bay Area house party featuring absurd conversations on tech, culture, and startups, ending with the protagonist's plan to profit from the information gained. Longer summary
This satirical post describes a fictional Bay Area house party, featuring conversations on various tech and cultural topics. It includes discussions about adapting Buddhism for conservatives, a consultant who helps companies be offensive, a new financial product called 'antistocks', debates between a YIMBY, crypto enthusiast, and youth pastor, AI happiness optimization, and a scheme to distract tech billionaires with conferences. The story ends with the protagonist learning about a startup working on immortality through transmissible tumors, and deciding to use this information for financial gain. Shorter summary
Dec 21, 2022
acx

The Buying Things From A Store FAQ

10 min • 1,342 words • 147 comments • 132 likes
Scott Alexander uses a satirical FAQ about stores to illustrate common objections to new institutions, then explains the purpose and offers heuristics for evaluating such criticisms. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical FAQ about buying things from stores, addressing various hypothetical concerns and objections. The post humorously explores common criticisms of new institutions by applying them to the familiar concept of stores. In the final section, Scott explains the purpose of this satire, drawing parallels to similar objections raised against prediction markets and self-service gas stations. He then offers heuristics for evaluating such criticisms and emphasizes the importance of practical implementation over theoretical objections. Shorter summary
Nov 25, 2022
acx

If The Media Reported On Other Things Like It Does Effective Altruism

5 min • 627 words • 229 comments • 132 likes
Scott Alexander satirizes media coverage of Effective Altruism by applying similar reporting tactics to other causes and movements. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical piece mimicking media reporting on Effective Altruism by applying similar rhetorical techniques to other topics and movements. He creates fictional news stories about climate change, political activism, drunk driving prevention, and other causes, using logical fallacies, misrepresentations, and sensationalism to mock how media often portrays Effective Altruism. The post highlights how these reporting tactics can unfairly discredit or misrepresent important causes and movements. Shorter summary
Oct 19, 2022
acx

Another Bay Area House Party

28 min • 3,823 words • 358 comments • 331 likes • podcast (25 min)
Scott Alexander presents a satirical account of a Bay Area house party, showcasing absurd startup ideas and intellectual discussions that parody Silicon Valley culture. Longer summary
Scott Alexander describes another fictional Bay Area house party, filled with eccentric characters pitching outlandish startup ideas and discussing bizarre theories. The narrative weaves through conversations about AI-generated myths, financial communication through rap, the future of human thought in the age of AI, Wikipedia editing dilemmas, extreme urban planning ideas, and ethical considerations in organ donation. The story satirizes Silicon Valley culture, startup mentality, and various intellectual subcultures. Shorter summary
Sep 02, 2022
acx

The Prophet And Caesar's Wife

19 min • 2,576 words • 186 comments • 288 likes • podcast (19 min)
A satirical series of encounters between a Prophet and various Bishops, exploring the contradictions in religious leadership and public perception. Longer summary
This satirical post presents a series of vignettes featuring a Prophet encountering various Bishops in different cities, each struggling with the balance between appearance and reality in their religious roles. The Prophet's advice is consistently inconsistent, highlighting the absurdity of trying to please everyone while maintaining a perfect image. The story culminates with the Prophet critiquing God's PR strategy in Heaven, turning the 'Caesar's wife' idiom on its head. Through these interactions, the post explores themes of hypocrisy, moral hazard, and the often contradictory expectations placed on religious leaders. Shorter summary
Jun 06, 2022
acx

It's Bad On Purpose To Make You Click

3 min • 288 words • 86 comments • 298 likes
Scott writes a satirical poem about clickbait content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' to critique manipulative media practices. Longer summary
This post is a satirical poem criticizing clickbait content and manipulative media practices. Scott uses rhyming verse to humorously describe how outrageous or controversial content is deliberately created to generate engagement on social media platforms. The poem advises readers to recognize this tactic and avoid engaging with such content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' throughout. Shorter summary
May 04, 2022
acx

Every Bay Area House Party

31 min • 4,217 words • 301 comments • 638 likes • podcast (27 min)
Scott Alexander satirizes Bay Area culture through a fictional house party filled with eccentric characters and outlandish startup ideas. Longer summary
Scott Alexander writes a satirical piece about a stereotypical Bay Area house party, filled with eccentric characters discussing outlandish startup ideas, unconventional philosophies, and bizarre research projects. The narrator moves through the party, encountering various guests including a war insurance startup founder, a cryptocurrency promoter, a secular Buddhist philosopher, an artist lying on beaches, alternative history restaurateurs, and a researcher studying steppe nomad risks. The story pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, startup culture, and the tendency for seemingly absurd ideas to receive funding, often from Peter Thiel. Shorter summary
Apr 27, 2021
acx

Verses Written On The Occasion Of Getting The COVID Vaccine

4 min • 456 words • 340 comments • 152 likes
Scott Alexander writes a humorous poem about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, set to a Les Misérables tune, exploring lockdown frustrations and the complexities of returning to normalcy. Longer summary
This post is a creative writing piece in the form of verses set to the tune of a song from Les Misérables. It humorously depicts the experience of getting the COVID-19 vaccine and the conflicting desires between citizens wanting freedom and epidemiologists urging continued caution. The verses highlight various frustrations with lockdowns, and end with the narrator receiving the vaccine but still being advised to follow restrictions. The piece concludes with the narrator expressing a sense of freedom and resentment towards the FDA for delays in vaccine approval. Shorter summary
Feb 12, 2021
acx

List Of Fictional Cryptocurrencies Banned By The SEC

7 min • 866 words • 150 comments • 186 likes • podcast (8 min)
Scott Alexander presents a satirical list of fictional cryptocurrencies and the humorous reasons for their ban by the SEC. Longer summary
Scott Alexander humorously describes a list of fictional cryptocurrencies banned by the SEC, each with unique and often absurd features. He explains the concept behind each cryptocurrency, ranging from religious-themed coins to those based on communist ideals or vampire slaying. The post then provides comical reasons for why each cryptocurrency was banned, often highlighting potential societal issues or unintended consequences of their implementation. Shorter summary
Jun 17, 2020
ssc

Slightly Skew Systems Of Government

10 min • 1,369 words • 190 comments • podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander describes three fictional and slightly absurd systems of government: an acausal democracy, a constitutional mobocracy, and a meta-republic with representatives from various governing philosophies. Longer summary
This post presents three fictional systems of government in a satirical and creative manner. The first, Clamzoria, is an acausal democracy where elections are held at the end of a term and prediction markets determine who takes office. The second, Cognito, is a constitutional mobocracy where protests serve as the legislature. The third, Yyphrostikoth, is a meta-republic with representatives from various forms of government, including some absurd positions. Each system is described with its unique features, advantages, and eventual downfalls or quirks. Shorter summary
May 26, 2020
ssc

“My Immortal” As Alchemical Allegory

53 min • 7,395 words • 164 comments • podcast (55 min)
Scott Alexander humorously analyzes 'My Immortal' as an alchemical allegory, combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical analysis of the infamous Harry Potter fanfiction 'My Immortal', arguing that it is actually a complex alchemical allegory combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust. He breaks down the story's structure, characters, and symbolism, drawing parallels to alchemical stages and concepts. The post is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner, mimicking academic literary analysis while applied to a notoriously bad piece of writing. Shorter summary
May 02, 2019
ssc

Little Known Types Of Eclipse

2 min • 232 words • 73 comments • podcast (3 min)
Scott Alexander humorously invents various absurd types of 'eclipses', ranging from astronomical to metaphorical and apocalyptic. Longer summary
This post humorously explores various fictitious types of eclipses, starting with genuine astronomical events and gradually progressing to increasingly absurd and metaphorical 'eclipses'. Scott Alexander begins with real lunar and solar eclipses, then introduces imaginary concepts like 'terrestrial eclipse' and 'atmospheric eclipse'. The list becomes more fanciful, including 'motivational eclipse', 'marital eclipse', and even religious and apocalyptic variations. The tone is playful and satirical, using the concept of eclipses as a vehicle for wordplay and cultural references. Shorter summary
Feb 13, 2019
ssc

The Proverbial Murder Mystery

54 min • 7,424 words • 120 comments • podcast (45 min)
A detective investigates deaths at a proverb-testing laboratory, uncovering a plot involving a reality-bending machine that makes proverbs literal. Longer summary
This post is a fictional detective story set in a laboratory that tests proverbs. The detective investigates two deaths at the lab and uncovers a sinister plot involving a machine that makes proverbs come true. The story is filled with wordplay and literal interpretations of proverbs, leading to a climactic confrontation where the detective uses his knowledge of sayings to defeat the villainous lab director. The narrative is presented as a mystery that gradually reveals the true nature of the lab and its machine, ending with the destruction of the proverb-manipulating technology. Shorter summary
Sep 12, 2018
ssc

In The Balance

12 min • 1,584 words • 190 comments • podcast (13 min)
A fictional tale about choosing between cosmic principles when given ultimate power, ultimately satirizing decision paralysis and the concept of balance. Longer summary
This post is a fictional story about a person who finds an Artifact that grants mastery of the universe. The protagonist encounters a series of demon-like entities, each representing different philosophical concepts such as Order, Chaos, Balance, Excess, and various meta-levels of these ideas. Each entity tries to convince the protagonist to use the Artifact for their domain. The story becomes increasingly complex and absurd as more entities appear, presenting increasingly meta arguments about decision-making and balance. In the end, the protagonist, overwhelmed by the complexity, hastily chooses 'normal Balance' and destroys the Artifact. The story concludes with a reflection on the questionable wisdom of this choice and the protagonist's reluctance to spend more time on such an important decision. Shorter summary
Aug 27, 2018
ssc

Elegy For John McCain

2 min • 222 words • 369 comments • podcast (4 min)
Scott Alexander writes a satirical poem about John McCain's passing, imagining him continuing his warmongering ways in the afterlife. Longer summary
This post is a satirical poem about John McCain's passing, portraying him as continuing his warmongering ways in the afterlife. The poem uses religious imagery and references to depict McCain criticizing heaven's peaceful policies and rallying angels for war. It maintains a mocking tone throughout, ending with the suggestion that if readers see apocalyptic signs, it's due to McCain's continued belligerence even after death. The poem is structured in various rhyme schemes and meters, showcasing Scott's creative writing skills. Shorter summary
Jul 25, 2018
ssc

Verses Composed Upon Reading A Review From TripAdvisor

3 min • 345 words • 28 comments • podcast (6 min)
Scott Alexander reimagines Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan' as a modern TripAdvisor review of Xanadu, blending classical poetry with contemporary tourism. Longer summary
This post is a creative writing piece by Scott Alexander, reimagining Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Kubla Khan' as a modern-day TripAdvisor review. The poem humorously describes a tourist's visit to Xanadu, now commercialized with entry fees, guided tours, and attractions like white-water rafting and an IMAX theater. It maintains much of the original poem's structure and imagery while infusing it with contemporary tourism elements. The piece ends with a playful 5/5 rating, mimicking a typical online review format. Shorter summary
Jun 19, 2018
ssc

The GATTACA Trilogy

26 min • 3,565 words • 133 comments • podcast (24 min)
Scott Alexander writes two satirical sequels to GATTACA, critiquing discrimination based on epigenetics and educational background. Longer summary
This post is a satirical continuation of the movie GATTACA, imagining two sequels that critique different forms of discrimination. In 'GATTACA II: EPI-GATTACA', the focus is on epigenetics, where people are judged based on their ancestors' life experiences. In 'GATTACA III: EDU-GATTACA', the discrimination is based on which college one attended. Both stories follow a similar structure to the original GATTACA, with the protagonist Vincent trying to overcome societal barriers through deception. The stories end with Vincent's brother Anton helping him and Vincent realizing that he wants to change the discriminatory system, not just escape it. Shorter summary
Scott Alexander uses satirical short stories to critique and deconstruct thought experiments challenging libertarian principles, highlighting their flaws and misrepresentations. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to a series of thought experiments designed to challenge libertarian principles with short stories that satirize and critique the premises of these experiments. He uses humor and irony to point out flaws in the reasoning behind the scenarios, suggesting they are based on straw man arguments or misunderstandings of libertarian philosophy. The stories involve time travelers interrupting the Constitutional Convention, a philosophical paradox causing chaos, and an 'infinitely rich man' scenario countered by unusual insurance. The final story breaks the fourth wall, portraying these scenarios as part of a flawed thought experiment world designed to criticize libertarianism. Shorter summary