The independent Scott Alexander archive
Essays, arguments, and unexpected connections. An independent archive of Slate Star Codex, Astral Codex Ten, and LessWrong.
The post analyzes survey data to examine if effective altruism attracts people with mental disorders, finding slightly higher rates of autism but no evidence of unusual self-hate or scrupulosity.
Scott Alexander discusses the challenges of community growth, relating his experiences with micronations and rationalist groups to theories about natural group size limits.
Scott discusses the challenge of incorporating animal welfare into effective altruism, proposing a balanced approach to expand moral circles while preserving sanity.
Scott Alexander examines a study showing positive effects of early intervention on at-risk children, but questions its policy implications due to high costs.
A collection of interesting links covering various topics including medical discoveries, scientific studies, social issues, and economic findings, with brief commentary on each.
Scott Alexander explores the nuanced ways pharmaceutical companies influence doctors, arguing that their tactics are more subtle and ethically complex than simple bribery.
Scott Alexander explores the potential link between falling testosterone levels and declining crime rates, finding the hypothesis intriguing but ultimately insufficient to explain observed crime trends.
Scott Alexander criticizes misleading media reports on drug testing welfare recipients, showing how flawed methods and misrepresented data led to false conclusions about drug use rates.
Scott Alexander questions the plausibility of multifactorial explanations for trends, using the US crime rate decline as an example, and seeks literature on comparing single-factor vs multi-factor explanations.
Scott Alexander critiques the inefficiency of psychiatric care for poverty-related issues, suggesting a Basic Income Guarantee as a potentially more effective solution.
Scott Alexander argues that polyamory's low black representation is part of a broader pattern across many subcultures, proposing general explanations and criticizing how this issue is often weaponized.
Scott Alexander examines a study comparing the effectiveness of drugs and therapy for psychiatric disorders, discussing the results and methodological limitations of the research.
A satirical future op-ed argues that not giving children 'super-enhancement gene therapy' is child abuse, mirroring current pro-vaccination arguments.
A collection of interesting links covering history, science, politics and culture, with Scott's commentary on each topic.
Scott Alexander reviews an article on heroin addiction treatment, advocating for suboxone use while criticizing ineffective rehab programs and regulatory obstacles.
Scott Alexander uses NBA player heights as an analogy to discuss intelligence and IQ, advocating for a balanced view that acknowledges both innate talent and effort.
Scott Alexander examines the concept of innate ability and argues for its acceptance, while cautioning against tying self-worth to intellectual achievement.
Scott Alexander creates a series of jokes imagining how famous philosophers would behave in a coffee shop, playing on their key ideas and quirks.
Scott Alexander critiques a study on gender gaps in academia, arguing it ignores actual measures of ability which better explain the disparities.
Scott Alexander presents a new list of internet annoyances for 2015, ranging from argumentative tactics to web design issues.
A collection of interesting links covering topics like Chinese religion, economics, science, and technology, with commentary on their broader implications.
Scott Alexander argues that depression and suicide rates are not reliable indicators of societal well-being, critiquing simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in social comparisons.
Scott Alexander explores how evil evolves to evade societal recognition, drawing parallels with flu viruses and analyzing modern bullying tactics.
Scott Alexander examines different theories of weight gain, focusing on the roles of metabolism and appetite/exercise drive, and concludes that individual metabolic differences likely play a significant role in weight management.
Scott examines phatic communication and anti-inductive systems, exploring their roles in social interactions, job-seeking, and psychotherapy, and suggests the value of balancing both approaches.
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