ACX
Blindness, Schizophrenia, and Autism
Scott explores the puzzling relationship between congenital blindness, schizophrenia, and autism, discussing potential explanations and the need for further research.
6 min read 880 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
Contra Hanania On Partisanship
Scott Alexander challenges Richard Hanania's explanation for liberal dominance in institutions, attributing it instead to shifting coalition systems described by Thomas Piketty.
21 min read 3,171 words
ACX
Eight Hundred Slightly Poisoned Word Games
Scott Alexander conducts an experiment playing a word game 800 times under varying CO2 levels, finding no correlation between indoor carbon dioxide and cognitive performance.
8 min read 1,161 words
ACX
Contra Drum On The Fish Oil Story
Scott Alexander defends his criticism of the FDA's approval process in the infant fish oil case, arguing that systemic issues cause harmful delays even when the FDA follows its mandate.
24 min read 3,628 words
ACX
Details Of The Infant Fish Oil Story
Scott Alexander corrects and expands on the story of Omegaven, a life-saving infant nutritional fluid, using it to illustrate systemic issues with medical regulation and drug approval.
24 min read 3,615 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Acemoglu And AI
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his AI risk post, discussing AI self-awareness, narrow vs. general AI, catastrophe probabilities, and research priorities.
37 min read 5,613 words
ACX
Adumbrations Of Aducanumab
Scott Alexander argues that the FDA is too strict, not too lax, and proposes unbundling FDA approval to allow for more nuanced drug regulation.
35 min read 5,328 words
ACX
Model City Monday 8/2/21
Scott discusses recent developments in charter cities, including new projects in Honduras, a hypothetical project called Mariposa, and the growth of megachurches in Nigeria into city-like entities.
20 min read 3,085 words
ACX
Updated Look At Long-Term AI Risks
Scott Alexander discusses a new expert survey on long-term AI risks, highlighting the diverse scenarios considered and the lack of consensus on specific threats.
9 min read 1,322 words
ACX
When Does Worrying About Things Trade Off Against Worrying About Other Things?
Scott Alexander analyzes and criticizes arguments that claim worrying about one issue trades off against worrying about another, particularly in the context of AI risks.
12 min read 1,852 words
ACX
Contra Acemoglu On...Oh God, We're Doing This Again, Aren't We?
Scott Alexander critiques Daron Acemoglu's Washington Post article on AI risks, highlighting flawed logic and unsupported claims about AI's current impacts.
16 min read 2,326 words
ACX
Mantic Monday 7/26
Scott reviews recent developments in prediction markets, including COVID-19 forecasts, the launch of Kalshi, and Metaculus' new hiring initiative.
14 min read 2,168 words
ACX
Links For July
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links and news items from July, covering topics from science and technology to politics and culture, with brief commentary on each.
19 min read 2,849 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On "Crazy Like Us"
Scott discusses reader comments on his 'Crazy Like Us' book review, covering topics like PTSD, cultural influences on mental illness, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia.
34 min read 5,184 words
ACX
Things I Learned Writing The Lockdown Post
Scott Alexander shares insights gained from writing a comprehensive post on lockdown effectiveness, highlighting the complexities and challenges of analyzing such a multifaceted issue.
24 min read 3,645 words
ACX
Peer Review Request: Ketamine
Scott Alexander provides a comprehensive guide on ketamine as a depression treatment, covering administration methods, effectiveness, safety, dosage, and potential side effects.
48 min read 7,352 words
ACX
Please Take The Reader Survey [Update: Now It Is Closed And You Can Stop Taking It]
Scott Alexander describes a now-closed reader survey project supporting ACX community studies, with instructions on survey completion and content warnings.
5 min read 736 words
ACX
Book Review: Crazy Like Us
Scott Alexander reviews 'Crazy Like Us', exploring how Western mental health concepts spread globally and whether raising awareness of mental health problems might make them worse.
43 min read 6,581 words
ACX
Reader Survey Final Check-In
Scott Alexander is finalizing preparations for a Reader Survey, asking participants to confirm their inclusion and make necessary adjustments before the Friday start date.
3 min read 321 words
ACX
Use Prediction Markets To Fund Investigative Reporting
Scott proposes using prediction markets to fund investigative journalism, potentially solving the issue of funding quality reporting in the digital age.
8 min read 1,228 words
ACX
Book Review Contest: Winners
Scott Alexander announces the winners of the Book Review Contest, lists all finalists, and explains the prizes, including increased monetary awards.
5 min read 674 words
ACX
Lockdown Effectiveness: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott examines data on COVID-19 lockdown effectiveness, finding they likely reduced transmission but at significant costs, with targeted measures being most effective.
73 min read 11,254 words
ACX
Model City Monday
Scott Alexander explores various modern independence-seeking projects, including charter cities and secessionist movements, discussing their potential and challenges.
22 min read 3,311 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On "How Asia Works"
Scott Alexander shares and discusses reader comments on his review of 'How Asia Works', covering various critiques and alternative explanations for Asian economic development.
34 min read 5,136 words
ACX
Welcome Polygenically Screened Babies
Scott Alexander discusses the birth of the first polygenically-screened baby and explores the current and potential future applications of this technology in IVF.
9 min read 1,321 words
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