SSC
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 essaysSSC
CBT In The Water Supply
Scott Alexander explores the declining effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, proposing that its core ideas have become part of popular culture, potentially explaining its decreased impact.
21 min read 3,127 words
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Things That Sometimes Work If You Have Anxiety
Scott Alexander reviews a wide range of treatments for anxiety disorders, from lifestyle changes and therapy to medications and alternative remedies, emphasizing the importance of exploring multiple options.
28 min read 4,251 words
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Cultural Evolution 2: Thanks For The Meme-Rise
Scott examines five potential mechanisms of cultural evolution, discussing their strengths and limitations, and concludes that they don't strongly justify preserving specific cultural features.
5 min read 737 words
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Links 7/15: Link-Carbon Battery
A diverse collection of links and studies covering education, race, healthcare, and various other topics, with Scott's commentary and analysis on each item.
16 min read 2,412 words
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The Argument From Cultural Evolution
The post examines cultural evolution, arguing that while within-culture evolution is effective, between-cultures evolution is too slow and weak to justify cultural practices like opposition to gay marriage.
14 min read 2,016 words
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The Case Of The Famous Physicist
Scott analyzes a case of apparent psychiatric misdiagnosis, explaining the complexities and challenges faced by psychiatrists in evaluating patients' claims.
18 min read 2,705 words
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Reflections From The Halfway Point
Scott reflects on his psychiatry residency experiences, discussing the realities of psychiatric hospitals, patient care challenges, and his transition to outpatient work.
18 min read 2,766 words
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Links 6/15: Monsters, Link
A diverse collection of links covering recent studies, news stories, and interesting facts, ranging from scientific research to policy debates to unusual historical events.
15 min read 2,185 words
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Fifty (More) Swifties
The post presents 50 'Tom Swifties', a form of wordplay involving quotes and related adverbs, demonstrating the author's wit and knowledge across various fields.
5 min read 699 words
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Fearful Symmetry
Scott Alexander examines the parallels between social justice and anti-social justice groups, arguing that shared experiences of perceived persecution could lead to better understanding and less conflict.
45 min read 6,866 words
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(Late) Predictions for 2015
Scott Alexander makes belated predictions for 2015, covering world events and personal life with varying confidence levels.
4 min read 615 words
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Links 6/15: Everything But The Kitchen Link
A collection of interesting links covering science, politics, economics, and culture, with Scott's commentary on each story.
13 min read 1,990 words
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Against Tulip Subsidies
The post criticizes unnecessary college degree requirements in various professions and proposes an alternative to Bernie Sanders' free college tuition plan.
17 min read 2,483 words
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That Chocolate Study
Scott Alexander dissects a hoax chocolate study to critique common misconceptions about nutrition science, study design, and statistical methods.
19 min read 2,924 words
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No Time Like The Present For AI Safety Work
Scott argues for the importance of starting AI safety research now, presenting key problems and reasons why early work is crucial.
31 min read 4,792 words
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Links 5/15: Link Floyd
A curated collection of interesting links spanning medicine, economics, social issues and quirky stories, with Scott's commentary on various developments and findings.
11 min read 1,656 words
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AI Researchers On AI Risk
Scott Alexander provides evidence that many prominent AI researchers are concerned about AI risk, contrary to claims in some popular articles.
36 min read 5,524 words
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Beware Summary Statistics
Scott Alexander explores how summary statistics can be misleading when describing relationships between variables, using examples of IQ's correlation with crime and income.
5 min read 661 words
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Bicameral Reasoning
Scott Alexander explores 'bicameral reasoning', comparing how we often weigh issues equally (like the US Senate) instead of proportionally to their importance (like the House), leading to potentially skewed decision-making.
9 min read 1,249 words
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California, Water You Doing?
Scott analyzes California's water usage, critiques media coverage of the drought, and proposes a market-based solution focused on reducing alfalfa farming.
14 min read 2,127 words
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Links 5/15: Tall And Linky
Scott shares and comments on various links covering science, politics, and culture, with topics ranging from automation's effect on employment to psychology's replication crisis.
11 min read 1,617 words
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Growth Mindset 4: Growth Of Office
Scott Alexander responds to criticism of his growth mindset study analysis, acknowledging some errors while maintaining other criticisms.
29 min read 4,437 words
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The Future Is Filters
Scott examines the potential future of online content filtering technology, considering its benefits, drawbacks, and societal implications.
12 min read 1,721 words
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