Scott Alexander investigates whether non-religious people are more prone to believing conspiracy theories, finding a U-shaped relationship between religiosity and skepticism.

9 min read 1,270 words

atheism belief systems conspiracy theories

Oct 24, 2019SSC

Highlights From The Comments On PNSE

Scott Alexander examines skeptical and supportive comments on claims of enlightenment, arguing that evidence for such states is comparable to other accepted mental phenomena.

20 min read 3,097 words

altered states of consciousness Bayesian reasoning Buddhism

May 9, 2019SSC

Is There A Case For Skepticism Of Psychedelic Therapy?

Scott Alexander presents a case for skepticism about psychedelic therapy in psychiatry, outlining seven points of concern while still supporting further research.

7 min read 1,039 words

FDA ketamine LSD

Jun 19, 2014SSC

Money On The Ground

Scott Alexander defends an economic principle often mocked in jokes, explaining its validity when applied to long-standing, seemingly obvious financial opportunities.

2 min read 220 words

economic theory economics humor

Apr 15, 2014SSC

Scott argues that focusing on easily debunked fringe beliefs when discussing rationality can be counterproductive, potentially hampering people's ability to doubt their own beliefs and engage in critical thinking.

10 min read 1,427 words

belief formation creationism critical thinking

Nov 8, 2013SSC

Lies, Damned Lies, And Facebook (Part 4 of ∞)

Scott Alexander debunks claims of effectiveness for Vancouver's 'Don't Be That Guy' anti-rape campaign, arguing that the reported crime reduction is likely due to normal statistical fluctuations rather than the campaign's impact.

14 min read 2,160 words

crime rates crime statistics media criticism

Feb 14, 2013SSC

Abraham Lincoln, Necromancer

The post investigates claims about Abraham Lincoln's involvement in spiritualism, finding evidence for his attendance at seances while debunking more extreme claims.

23 min read 3,489 words

Abraham Lincoln Civil War historical investigation

Mar 26, 2009LW

Crowley on Religious Experience

Scott presents Aleister Crowley's rationalist approach to mysticism and religious experience, arguing that Crowley's empirically-focused system for achieving enlightenment offers valuable insights that both religious and rationalist perspectives typically miss.

6 min read 881 words

Buddhism Eliezer Yudkowsky enlightenment

Mar 15, 2009LW

The Skeptic's Trilemma

Scott argues that good skeptics should try to explain strange claims, as Marinatos did with Atlantis and Santorini, rather than worship them or reflexively ignore them.

11 min read 1,647 words

cognitive bias Eliezer Yudkowsky placebo effect