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Dictator Book Club: Orban
Scott reviews Viktor Orban's rise to power in Hungary, detailing his political transformation and methods of consolidating control through exploiting constitutional loopholes.
34 min read 5,254 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
Non-Cognitive Skills For Educational Attainment Suggest Benefits Of Mental Illness Genes
Scott Alexander examines a genetic study distinguishing cognitive and non-cognitive skills in educational attainment, revealing unexpected correlations with mental health conditions.
8 min read 1,173 words
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Mantic Monday 11/1/21
Scott Alexander explores various applications and recent developments in prediction markets and forecasting, covering topics from election betting to teacher evaluation and social media moderation.
23 min read 3,428 words
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Jhanas and the Dark Room Problem
Scott explores the connection between the Dark Room Problem in neuroscience, meditative jhanas, and theories of beauty, suggesting that intense focus on regular stimuli can produce extreme bliss.
4 min read 606 words
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Epistemic Minor Leagues
Scott Alexander explores the universal human drive for discovery and knowledge-seeking, comparing it to 'intellectual minor leagues' and questioning how non-experts can contribute meaningful insights.
11 min read 1,564 words
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Chilling Effects
Scott investigates the claim that cold-related deaths account for 10% of global mortality, exploring various factors and potential impacts of global warming on death rates.
22 min read 3,273 words
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Links For October
A compilation of 30 diverse links on various topics including science, history, technology, and culture, with brief commentaries by Scott Alexander.
19 min read 2,850 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Kids And Climate Change
Scott responds to various reader comments on his article about having children despite climate change, addressing critiques and expanding on several points.
35 min read 5,387 words
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Please Don't Give Up On Having Kids Because Of Climate Change
Scott Alexander argues that concerns about climate change should not deter people from having children, presenting counterarguments to common climate-related reasons for avoiding parenthood.
25 min read 3,745 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Modern Architecture
Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on why modern architecture differs from older styles, exploring economic, cultural, and artistic explanations.
65 min read 9,946 words
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Book Review: The Scout Mindset
Scott Alexander reviews 'The Scout Mindset' by Julia Galef, a book on rationality that emphasizes seeking truth over defending beliefs and addresses both intellectual and emotional aspects of clear thinking.
35 min read 5,421 words
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Whither Tartaria?
Scott Alexander explores the 'Tartaria' conspiracy theory to discuss broader shifts in aesthetic preferences, examining potential explanations and their implications for society.
23 min read 3,507 words
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Links For September
Scott Alexander presents a curated list of 37 diverse and interesting links, covering topics from historical events to recent scientific studies, with brief summaries and occasional commentary.
22 min read 3,285 words
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Book Review: The Revolt Of The Public
Scott Alexander reviews 'The Revolt of the Public', a 2014 book that predicted the rise of social media-driven mass revolts against elites, finding its insights now obvious but acknowledging its prescience at the time of publication.
29 min read 4,492 words
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Book Review: Modi - A Political Biography
The review examines a biography of Narendra Modi, discussing his rise to power and controversial tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, while noting the book's biased perspective.
43 min read 6,627 words
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The Unbearable Semiheaviness Of Being
Scott Alexander examines the concept of 'light water' and its potential health benefits, critically analyzing various arguments while expressing fascination with this unexpected area of scientific inquiry.
11 min read 1,668 words
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Too Good To Check: A Play In Three Acts
Scott Alexander analyzes the evolving narrative around a news story about ivermectin overdoses in Oklahoma hospitals, illustrating how cognitive biases and media dynamics can distort information.
17 min read 2,567 words
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Long COVID: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott Alexander examines the current research on Long COVID, analyzing its prevalence, symptoms, and potential impacts to assess personal risk and societal implications.
50 min read 7,628 words
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On Hreha On Behavioral Economics
Scott Alexander argues that despite some replication failures, the core of behavioral economics remains valid and valuable, with the field continuing to evolve and refine its understanding of human decision-making.
47 min read 7,248 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Missing School
Scott Alexander discusses and responds to comments on his article about the effects of missing school, exploring various perspectives and reflecting on education's value and impact.
41 min read 6,239 words
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Carbon Costs Quantified
Scott Alexander presents a chart quantifying carbon emissions from various sources, discussing the implications and providing advice on addressing climate change responsibly.
19 min read 2,888 words
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If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Governor Of California?
Scott Alexander argues that many people missed an opportunity to have a realistic chance of becoming Governor of California in the recall election, and analyzes why this happened.
14 min read 2,040 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Aducanumab
Scott Alexander reviews comments on his posts about aducanumab and the FDA, acknowledging some mistakes while defending his overall critique of FDA conservatism.
40 min read 6,181 words
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Links For August
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links and commentary on topics ranging from housing policy and employment discrimination to conspiracy theories and vaccine hesitancy, with a mix of analysis, skepticism, and humor.
21 min read 3,111 words
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Kids Can Recover From Missing Even Quite A Lot Of School
Scott Alexander argues that missing a year or two of school is unlikely to have significant long-term effects on children's education, presenting evidence and critiquing contrary studies.
29 min read 4,481 words
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