A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “cultural analysis”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott Alexander reviews 'America Against America', a 1988 book by Chinese political scientist Wang Huning, analyzing his observations of US society and institutions after a brief stay in Iowa.
Scott Alexander critiques Sam Kriss's analysis of nerds and hipsters, offering an alternative theory about identity investment in cultural products.
A review of Ray Huang's '1587, A Year of No Significance', examining the decline of the Ming dynasty through the lens of an apparently uneventful year.
Anna Schaffner's 'Exhaustion: A History' traces explanations for chronic fatigue from ancient times to modern Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, showing how they reflect contemporary cultural and scientific ideas.
Scott Alexander examines the puzzling downfall of New Atheism, comparing it to other progressive movements and questioning why it alone faced backlash for repeating accepted ideas in liberal circles.
Scott Alexander argues that the Dark Ages in Western Europe (500-1000 AD) did occur, presenting evidence of economic, demographic, and intellectual decline during this period.
Scott Alexander shares a collection of interesting links and studies on various topics, including scientific research, cultural observations, and current events, with brief commentary on each.
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.
A collection of interesting links from around the web with Scott's commentary, covering topics from international politics to scientific research to cultural curiosities.