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Book Review: From Oversight To Overkill
Scott Alexander reviews a book critiquing Institutional Review Boards, arguing they now harm medical research more than they help.
38 min read 5,765 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
2,008 essaysACX
Book Review: The Arctic Hysterias
A review of 'The Arctic Hysterias' by Edward Foulks, exploring culture-bound mental disorders among Eskimos and their decline with westernization.
32 min read 4,863 words
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Most Technologies Aren't Races
Scott Alexander challenges the idea of an 'AI race', comparing AI to other transformative technologies and discussing scenarios where the race concept might apply.
12 min read 1,754 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Telemedicine Regulations
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his post about new telemedicine regulations, addressing various concerns and criticisms raised by readers.
33 min read 4,965 words
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MR Tries The Safe Uncertainty Fallacy
Scott Alexander critiques Tyler Cowen's use of the 'Safe Uncertainty Fallacy' in discussing AI risk, arguing that uncertainty doesn't justify complacency.
14 min read 2,052 words
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The Government Is Making Telemedicine Hard And Inconvenient Again
Scott Alexander criticizes new DEA regulations that restrict telemedicine prescriptions for controlled substances, arguing they will harm patients and legitimate practices while failing to prevent abuse.
12 min read 1,817 words
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Half An Hour Before Dawn In San Francisco
Scott Alexander narrates a haunting pre-dawn walk through San Francisco, mixing observations with apocalyptic musings before the spell is broken by sunrise.
8 min read 1,098 words
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Why Do Transgender People Report Hypermobile Joints?
Scott Alexander investigates the unexpectedly high prevalence of joint hypermobility in transgender individuals, exploring various theories and presenting survey data on the phenomenon.
14 min read 2,112 words
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Why I Am Not (As Much Of) A Doomer (As Some People)
Scott Alexander examines optimistic and pessimistic scenarios for AI risk, weighing the potential for intermediate AIs to help solve alignment against the threat of deceptive 'sleeper agent' AIs.
28 min read 4,264 words
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Links For March 2023
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links and brief discussions on topics including AI developments, social trends, scientific studies, and cultural phenomena.
27 min read 4,178 words
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Give Up Seventy Percent Of The Way Through The Hyperstitious Slur Cascade
Scott Alexander explores the concept of hyperstitious slurs, showing how words and actions become offensive through belief, and discusses when to adopt new language norms.
19 min read 2,876 words
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Issue Two Of Asterisk
Scott Alexander reviews the second issue of Asterisk magazine, which focuses on food-related topics in rationalist and effective altruist contexts.
4 min read 577 words
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Kelly Bets On Civilization
Scott Alexander uses Kelly betting to argue why AI development, unlike other technologies, poses too great a risk to civilization to pursue aggressively.
10 min read 1,425 words
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Against Ice Age Civilizations
Scott Alexander presents evidence against the existence of advanced Ice Age civilizations, particularly those rivaling ancient Egypt or 1700s Great Britain.
12 min read 1,792 words
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Impact Market Mini-Grants Update
Scott updates readers on the Impact Market Mini-Grants project, detailing recent developments and the project timeline.
4 min read 578 words
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OpenAI's "Planning For AGI And Beyond"
Scott Alexander critically examines OpenAI's 'Planning For AGI And Beyond' statement, discussing its implications for AI safety and development.
29 min read 4,495 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Geography Of Madness
Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on his 'Geography of Madness' review, revising views on culture-bound syndromes and exploring various mental health topics.
22 min read 3,377 words
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Announcing Forecasting Impact Mini-Grants
Scott Alexander announces a $20,000 grants round for forecasting projects using impact certificates, explaining the process for creators and investors.
13 min read 1,931 words
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Book Review: The Geography Of Madness
Scott reviews a book on culture-bound syndromes, expanding the discussion to how all mental illnesses are influenced by culture to varying degrees.
57 min read 8,723 words
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Grading My 2018 Predictions For 2023
Scott Alexander grades his 2018 predictions for 2023 and makes new predictions for 2028, with a strong focus on AI developments.
49 min read 7,468 words
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Declining Sperm Count: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott Alexander reviews the evidence for declining sperm counts, discussing major studies, criticisms, and potential causes, while remaining uncertain about the true extent and reasons for any decline.
31 min read 4,739 words
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Trying Again On Fideism
Scott clarifies his stance on conspiracy theories and expert trust, advocating for a nuanced approach that acknowledges both the value of expert opinion and the potential for misrepresentation.
24 min read 3,706 words
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Contra Kavanagh On Fideism
Scott Alexander defends his thorough analysis of ivermectin studies, arguing that dismissing controversial topics without addressing evidence can inadvertently promote conspiracy theories.
23 min read 3,470 words
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Ro-mantic Monday 2/13/23
Scott explores various technological and market-based approaches to dating and relationships, including prediction markets, matching sites, and cryptocurrency concepts.
19 min read 2,824 words
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