SSC
Burdens
Scott examines the feeling of being a burden in depression, arguing that society owes individuals support and suggesting a need for new ways to find meaning beyond traditional 'contribution'.
11 min read 1,553 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 essaysSSC
Beware Isolated Demands For Rigor
Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'isolated demands for rigor' across philosophy, politics, and science, criticizing the selective application of rigorous standards.
18 min read 2,716 words
SSC
Fifty Swifties
Scott Alexander presents a list of 50 original Tom Swifties, showcasing witty wordplay across various topics.
5 min read 704 words
SSC
Does Race Exist? Does Culture?
Scott Alexander uses an analogy between race and culture to argue that mathematical clustering arguments don't determine whether race 'exists' any more than they determine whether culture 'exists'.
18 min read 2,743 words
SSC
Does the Glasgow Coma Scale exist? Do comas?
Scott Alexander defends the validity of intelligence and IQ tests by comparing them to comas and the Glasgow Coma Scale in medicine.
20 min read 3,056 words
SSC
Getting Eulered
Scott Alexander explores the concept of 'Eulering' and strategies for dealing with complex mathematical arguments in non-mathematical debates.
19 min read 2,821 words
SSC
Friendship Is (Still) Countersignaling
Scott discusses how countersignaling in social interactions works only when one has already established social competence, using personal experiences and dating advice as examples.
5 min read 700 words
SSC
Random Noise Is Our Most Valuable Resource
Scott Alexander argues that creativity comes from mining external sources of 'noise' or 'disruption' rather than just thinking hard.
9 min read 1,389 words
SSC
Negative Creativity
Scott Alexander suggests humans have 'negative creativity' due to cognitive 'ruts', and explores ways to escape these ruts, arguing that AI might have an advantage in creative thinking.
7 min read 935 words
SSC
Unspoken Ground Assumptions Of Discussion
Scott Alexander explores five unspoken assumptions in discussions that can lead to misunderstandings and logical fallacies when not clarified.
6 min read 903 words
SSC
Misperceptions On Moloch
Scott Alexander addresses misconceptions about Moloch and human values, clarifying points from his previous post on the subject.
8 min read 1,160 words
SSC
Meditations On Moloch
Scott Alexander analyzes Moloch as a metaphor for destructive societal coordination problems, using various examples to show how competing incentives can lead to negative outcomes.
97 min read 14,959 words
SSC
Weird Psychiatric Ads Of The Seventies
Scott Alexander presents and humorously critiques a series of strange psychiatric drug advertisements from the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting their peculiar imagery and messaging.
11 min read 1,628 words
SSC
More Links For July 2014
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of interesting news items and links from July 2014, covering topics from philosophy and politics to science and pop culture.
10 min read 1,542 words
SSC
Some Antibiotic Stagnation
Scott Alexander debunks a misleading graph on antibiotic discovery and presents more accurate data, discussing reasons for the decline in antibiotic development.
8 min read 1,171 words
SSC
The Other Codex
Scott Alexander buys the Codex Seraphinianus, a long-desired luxury item, and inadvertently turns his post into an Amazon advertisement.
2 min read 281 words
SSC
No Skyscraper Stagnation
Scott Alexander refutes claims of American decline based on skyscraper construction, presenting data showing continued growth and recent boom in supertall buildings.
12 min read 1,830 words
SSC
Promising The Moon
Scott Alexander argues that real technological progress is driven by usefulness and profitability, not the coolness factor often seen in futuristic predictions.
10 min read 1,526 words
SSC
HeartMath Considered Incoherent
Scott Alexander critically examines the Institute of HeartMath, exposing a mix of misused science and pseudoscience in their 'heart coherence' claims and practices.
35 min read 5,343 words
SSC
Psychotropic Base Rates: The Argument From Antibiotics
Scott explores how antibiotics and antiprotozoal drugs unexpectedly affect mental health, suggesting that random chemicals may frequently influence mental processes.
4 min read 614 words
SSC
A Paradox of Ecclesiology
Scott Alexander examines ecclesiology in non-religious movements, using the Catholic Church as a model of organizational success, and questions why other causes don't adopt similar structures.
19 min read 2,942 words
SSC
Growing Children For Bostrom’s Disneyland
Scott explores a dystopian future scenario of hyper-optimized economic productivity, speculating on the emergence of new patterns and forms of life from this 'economic soup'.
15 min read 2,254 words
SSC
Links For July 2014
Scott shares and comments on various interesting links from July 2014, covering topics from scientific research to cultural oddities, with his characteristic mix of intellectual analysis and humor.
11 min read 1,661 words
SSC
Social Justice And Words, Words, Words
Scott Alexander critiques social justice terminology, arguing that words like 'privilege' and 'racism' are used as weapons rather than tools for understanding.
27 min read 4,178 words
SSC
SSRIs: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott analyzes various criticisms of antidepressants, concluding they have modest but real benefits over placebo, with important considerations about side effects and efficacy.
56 min read 8,645 words
Find your next rabbit hole
Start with a reader favorite, or follow an idea somewhere unexpected.