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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5 posts found
Apr 14, 2021
acx
97 min 13,450 words 553 comments 225 likes podcast (79 min)
Scott Alexander examines Próspera, a new charter city project in Honduras, detailing its plans, governance, and potential impact while addressing criticisms and limitations. Longer summary
Scott Alexander provides a comprehensive overview of Próspera, a new charter city project in Honduras. He explains its origins, current status, ambitious plans, governance structure, and potential impact. The post also addresses criticisms and concerns about the project, while acknowledging its limitations and potential benefits. Shorter summary
Feb 20, 2021
acx
12 min 1,563 words 443 comments 94 likes podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander examines Ezra Klein's concept of 'vetocracy' and its implications for American governance and progress. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses Ezra Klein's concept of 'vetocracy', which describes the increasing inability of American institutions to build, innovate, or solve problems due to multiple veto points. The post explores whether vetocracy is the same as polarization, why it's happening, and how it relates to increasing regulation. Scott questions why vetocracy hasn't led to a libertarian paradise and considers potential solutions, including the drastic option of creating unchangeable structures as proposed in the crypto world. Shorter summary
Jun 17, 2020
ssc
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
Feb 14, 2020
ssc
3 min 322 words 524 comments podcast (4 min)
Scott Alexander revisits his 'Targeting Meritocracy' post, realizing the disagreements stemmed from different fundamental perspectives: mistake theory vs. conflict theory. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on his previous post 'Targeting Meritocracy' and the disagreements it generated. He realizes that the core of the disagreement stems from different perspectives: mistake theory vs. conflict theory. Scott originally wrote from a mistake theory viewpoint, assuming good government is about solving problems efficiently. However, he now understands that those who disagreed likely approached it from a conflict theory perspective, where good government is about serving specific class interests. This realization helps explain the stark difference in opinions and reinforces the importance of identifying fundamental assumptions when encountering seemingly inexplicable disagreements. Shorter summary
Jan 24, 2018
ssc
21 min 2,885 words 22 comments podcast (22 min)
Scott Alexander explores the conflict vs. mistake theory dichotomy in politics, reflecting on his own mistake theory bias and considering the merits of conflict theory. Longer summary
Scott Alexander introduces the conflict vs. mistake theory dichotomy in politics and governance. Mistake theorists view political issues as problems to be solved through debate and expertise, while conflict theorists see politics as a struggle between opposing groups. The post explores how these perspectives differ in their approach to free speech, racism, democracy, and revolution. Scott reflects on his own tendency towards mistake theory and considers the merits of conflict theory, especially in light of current political realities. He concludes that while he still leans towards mistake theory, he recognizes the need to engage more seriously with conflict theory perspectives. Shorter summary