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Your Book Review: Order Without Law
The review analyzes Robert Ellickson's 'Order Without Law', which argues that close-knit communities often develop welfare-maximizing social norms that supersede formal laws.
102 min read 15,739 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
Metis And Bodybuilders
Scott examines how scientific research has challenged traditional bodybuilding wisdom about rest periods, questioning the reliability of practical wisdom ('metis') compared to academic studies.
16 min read 2,403 words
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Two Unexpected Multiple Hypothesis Testing Problems
Scott Alexander examines two cases of multiple hypothesis testing problems in medical and social science research, highlighting the complexities in interpreting results.
13 min read 1,958 words
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2020 Predictions: Calibration Results
Scott Alexander evaluates his 2020 predictions, finding he was generally overconfident, and discusses the implications for his prediction-making process.
13 min read 1,892 words
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Ambidexterity And Cognitive Closure
Scott Alexander examines the relationship between handedness, authoritarianism, and cognitive flexibility, finding unexpected results that contradict a recent study.
14 min read 2,100 words
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Oh, The Places You'll Go When Trying To Figure Out The Right Dose Of Escitalopram
Scott Alexander investigates the optimal dosage of Lexapro, comparing it to other antidepressants and exploring the reasons behind its effectiveness at lower doses.
16 min read 2,337 words
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Toward A Bayesian Theory Of Willpower
Scott Alexander proposes a Bayesian theory of willpower as a process of weighing evidence from different mental processes to determine actions.
13 min read 1,995 words
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More Antifragile, Diversity Libertarianism, And Corporate Censorship
Scott explores the concept of antifragility in relation to libertarianism, introducing 'diversity libertarianism' to analyze issues like corporate censorship and religious pressure on businesses.
13 min read 2,006 words
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Book Review: Antifragile
Scott Alexander reviews Nassim Taleb's 'Antifragile', which explores the concept of benefiting from disorder across various domains and critiques modern attempts to reduce volatility.
36 min read 5,496 words
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Adding My Data Point To The Discussion Of Substack Advances
Scott Alexander recounts his experience with Substack's advance payment offer, demonstrating that the company's strategy was likely motivated by genuine revenue predictions rather than sinister intentions.
6 min read 834 words
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Book Review: The New Sultan
Scott Alexander reviews a book on Erdogan's rise to power in Turkey, analyzing the factors that led to democratic backsliding and considering lessons for other democracies.
51 min read 7,803 words
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Sleep Is The Mate Of Death
Scott examines the relationship between sleep, synaptic homeostasis, and depression, exploring how sleep deprivation temporarily alleviates depression symptoms.
15 min read 2,187 words
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Mantic Monday: Mantic Matt Y
Scott Alexander examines Matt Yglesias's public predictions and discusses the implications for evaluating pundits and the future of prediction-based journalism.
16 min read 2,379 words
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Richard Nixon Vs. Cool
Scott Alexander explores the dynamics of cool vs. uncool groups, relating it to Richard Nixon's college strategy of uniting outsiders against elites.
5 min read 689 words
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Trapped Priors As A Basic Problem Of Rationality
Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'trapped priors' as a fundamental problem in rationality, explaining how it leads to persistent biases and suggesting potential solutions.
33 min read 5,057 words
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The Consequences Of Radical Reform
Scott Alexander examines a study showing that Napoleonic reforms led to better economic outcomes, challenging the idea that evolved systems are always superior to designed ones.
11 min read 1,686 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Class
Scott Alexander shares reader comments on his review of Fussell's class book, covering upper-class perspectives, class indicators, and political implications of class distinctions.
25 min read 3,772 words
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Highlights From The Comments On March Links
Scott Alexander reviews and responds to reader comments on various topics from his March Links post, providing additional context and clarifications.
18 min read 2,780 words
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Shilling For Big Mitochondria
Scott Alexander explores the history and mechanism of DNP, a dangerous but effective weight-loss drug, and discusses recent developments in safer mitochondrial uncoupling agents.
16 min read 2,469 words
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Mantic Monday: Scoring Rule Controversy
Scott Alexander examines the Metaculus scoring rule controversy and the challenges of long-term prediction markets, discussing potential solutions and their limitations.
12 min read 1,745 words
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Bay Area Plant-Based Meat Reviews
Scott Alexander reviews plant-based meat dishes from eight Bay Area restaurants, evaluating how well they mimic animal products in taste and texture.
21 min read 3,157 words
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A Modest Proposal For Republicans: Use The Word "Class"
Scott Alexander suggests Republicans should focus on fighting cultural classism to broaden their appeal and unite their base.
23 min read 3,524 words
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Book Review: Fussell On Class
Scott Alexander reviews Paul Fussell's 1983 book 'Class', which analyzes America's informal class structure and its impact on behavior and preferences.
37 min read 5,591 words
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Mantic Monday: Judging April COVID Predictions
Scott Alexander evaluates the accuracy of COVID-19 predictions made by himself and two others in April 2020, discussing the results and their implications for forecasting.
15 min read 2,184 words
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A Look Down Track B
Scott Alexander critically examines a new theory on antidepressant mechanisms, expressing skepticism while acknowledging its potential significance if proven true.
16 min read 2,454 words
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