The independent Scott Alexander archive
Essays, arguments, and unexpected connections. An independent archive of Slate Star Codex, Astral Codex Ten, and LessWrong.
Scott Alexander shares and comments on highlighted passages from 'The Two-Income Trap', covering various economic and political issues related to bankruptcy and financial distress.
Ozy argues for diversifying charitable donations, while Scott counters that focusing on the single most efficient charity at any given time is more effective.
Scott Alexander estimates the frequency of significant scientific failures to evaluate the plausibility of climate change skepticism.
Scott Alexander reflects on his first year of medical residency, contrasting reality with TV dramas and describing the complexities of hospital care.
Scott Alexander explores the puzzling lack of GDP impact from women's significant entry into the workforce, considering various explanations and economic implications.
Scott Alexander reviews Elizabeth Warren's 'The Two-Income Trap', which argues increased two-income families have led to more competition for positional goods without improving financial security.
Scott Alexander humorously explores the World Cup's complex rules, game theory in soccer, and unusual incentive structures in international tournaments.
Scott explores the fascinating etymology of 'placebo' from medieval funerals to medicine, then discusses the controversial placebo effect in depression treatment.
The post critiques the medical malpractice legal system through a neurologist's account of a lawsuit, highlighting flaws in court procedures and expert testimony.
Scott proposes adapting DW-Nominate, a political spectrum analysis tool, to study morality through real-life decisions, exploring its potential implications and limitations.
Scott Alexander defends an economic principle often mocked in jokes, explaining its validity when applied to long-standing, seemingly obvious financial opportunities.
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links and brief commentary on topics ranging from climate change to social science research, with both serious analysis and humorous observations.
Scott Alexander offers a comprehensive guide for treating depression, covering professional help, lifestyle changes, and supplements, emphasizing the importance of persistence in finding effective treatments.
Scott Alexander examines overpriced medical products like Lovaza and Deplin, arguing they serve a purpose in the medical system, but criticizes exorbitant BRCA gene testing prices as harmful.
Scott Alexander examines two cases of online mob justice in feminist circles to argue that movements abandoning civility ultimately self-destruct.
Scott Alexander shares and briefly comments on various insightful quotes from Jonathan Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', covering topics like psychology, politics, and religion.
Scott Alexander argues that rationality should be viewed as habit cultivation rather than a limited resource, drawing parallels with aikido and lucid dreaming techniques.
Scott humorously describes his frustrating attempts to dispose of an oversized trash can, exploring various communication strategies with garbage collectors.
Scott Alexander proposes 'Archipelago', a society of voluntary communities, as a potential solution to issues in modern politics and social organization.
Scott Alexander explores a thought experiment based on the Asch conformity experiment to examine the strength and flexibility of personal beliefs and societal norms.
A person repeatedly wakes up in a Matrix-like pod, being told different versions of reality about the concept of 'family' in a series of nested scenarios, ultimately revealed to be an alien experiment.
A links roundup post from June 2014 covering various topics from e-cigarettes and gender studies to technology and healthcare, with critical analysis of recent research and developments.
Scott Alexander defends trigger warnings as tools for informed choice, not censorship, and criticizes arguments against them, especially those based on non-consensual exposure therapy.
Scott Alexander argues against several popular Great Filter explanations, emphasizing that the true Filter must be more consistent and thorough than common x-risks or alien interventions.
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