ACX
Defying Cavity: Lantern Bioworks FAQ
Scott Alexander reviews Lantern Bioworks' Lumina, a genetically modified bacterium designed to prevent tooth decay, discussing its science, safety, and commercialization plans.
20 min read 3,078 words
The independent Scott Alexander archive
Scott Alexander, collected.
Essays, arguments, and unexpected connections. An independent archive of Slate Star Codex, Astral Codex Ten, and LessWrong.
The collection
2,007 essaysACX
Beyond "Abolish The FDA"
Scott Alexander examines the complexities of abolishing the FDA and proposes more practical alternatives to increase medical innovation while maintaining safeguards.
16 min read 2,337 words
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Mantic Monday 12/4/23
The post discusses recent developments in prediction markets, including challenges in market design, updates to forecasting platforms, and current market predictions on various topics.
31 min read 4,770 words
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Links For November 2023
A collection of 47 diverse links and news items covering topics from religious practices to AI developments, with brief commentary on many items.
27 min read 4,069 words
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Contra DeBoer On Movement Shell Games
Scott Alexander defends effective altruism against Freddie deBoer's criticism, arguing for its distinctiveness, practical value, and positive marginal effects.
20 min read 3,071 words
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In Continued Defense Of Effective Altruism
Scott Alexander defends effective altruism by highlighting its major accomplishments and arguing that its occasional missteps are outweighed by its positive impact on the world.
28 min read 4,266 words
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God Help Us, Let's Try To Understand AI Monosemanticity
Scott Alexander discusses recent breakthroughs in AI interpretability, explaining how researchers are beginning to understand the internal workings of neural networks.
25 min read 3,810 words
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Seen In The Bay
Scott Alexander presents a visual tour of the Bay Area's eccentricities through a series of photos with humorous commentary.
26 min read 4,014 words
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Book Review: I See Satan Fall Like Lightning
Scott Alexander reviews Rene Girard's 'I See Satan Fall Like Lightning', critiquing its theory of myths and religion centered on scapegoating, and discussing its application to modern 'wokeness'.
29 min read 4,359 words
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Does Anaesthesia Prove Ketamine Placebo?
Scott Alexander examines a study challenging ketamine's effectiveness as an antidepressant, discussing potential confounding factors and maintaining his belief in ketamine's utility despite the study's results.
12 min read 1,855 words
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Followup: Quests And Requests
Scott provides updates and reader responses to his previous 'Quests and Requests' article, addressing the status and potential of each proposed project.
71 min read 10,981 words
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Hardball Questions For The Next Debate
Scott Alexander presents a satirical, fictional Republican primary debate with absurd rules to highlight candidate personalities and critique political debate formats.
15 min read 2,209 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Kidney Donation
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various comments on his kidney donation post, covering a wide range of related topics and perspectives.
70 min read 10,818 words
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Quests And Requests
Scott Alexander proposes various project ideas for ACX Grants, ranging from scientific research to social initiatives, and encourages readers to pursue them.
27 min read 4,106 words
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Dictator Book Club: Chavez
Scott Alexander reviews a book about Hugo Chavez, analyzing his rise to power, rule, and impact on Venezuela, while drawing parallels to other populist leaders.
49 min read 7,473 words
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Mantic Monday 10/30/23
Scott Alexander reports on the Manifest prediction market conference, new developments in the field, and recent market activity on current events.
21 min read 3,113 words
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My Left Kidney
Scott Alexander recounts his experience donating a kidney, from initial motivation to post-surgery recovery, while discussing the broader context of organ donation.
48 min read 7,380 words
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Impact Market Mini-Grants Results
Scott Alexander reviews the results of the Impact Market Mini-Grants test run, discussing the top projects and lessons learned about this novel charitable funding method.
24 min read 3,631 words
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Pause For Thought: The AI Pause Debate
Scott Alexander reviews a debate on AI development pauses, discussing various strategies and their potential impacts on AI safety and progress.
38 min read 5,768 words
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How Are The Gay Younger Brothers Doing?
Scott Alexander examines recent studies on the Fraternal Birth Order Effect, finding evidence for a broader sibling birth order effect on homosexuality, though its exact nature and mechanism remain debated.
22 min read 3,400 words
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Links For September 2023
A diverse collection of links and brief comments on recent developments in science, technology, politics, and society, ranging from climate change to AI developments to social experiments.
28 min read 4,250 words
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ACX Classifieds 9/23
Scott announces a classifieds thread on his blog, explaining posting rules and providing related resources.
1 min read 145 words
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Book Review: The Alexander Romance
A review of 'The Alexander Romance', comparing its fantastical tales of Alexander the Great to modern superhero comics.
35 min read 5,416 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Elon Musk
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his Elon Musk book review, covering various aspects of Musk's life, work, and personality.
82 min read 12,560 words
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Book Review Contest 2023 Winners
Scott Alexander announces the winners and finalists of the 2023 Book Review Contest, providing details about the reviews, authors, and prizes.
13 min read 1,951 words
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